Land Use Intensification Pattern among Rural Farming Household in the Derived Savannah Agro Ecologies in Southwestern Nigeria

This study was carried out to determine the impact of the land-use intensification pattern among farmers in the derived savanna agro ecologies in Southwest Nigeria. The methodologies employed include the use of primary data and multi-stage clusters sampling techniques to select 144 respondents and were interviewed with well structured questionnaires. The analytical techniques used include descriptive statistics and inferential tools. The results show that majority (74%) of the farmers were males while 25% were females. Also, about 95% were married, and the average age of the farmers was 52 with years of farming experience estimated at 28years. Average size of total land holding was 10.23ha and there was no significant difference between the total size of land holding in the selected villages. Majority of the farmers (66%) are indigenes while 34% were non-indigenes. The vast dependence on farming by majority of the farmers was however justified with an average monthly income of N36, 596.15 which was higher than the estimated average monthly non-farm income of N15,666.67. Therefore, soil fertility depletion is possible under high land-use intensity and there is need to supplement available soil nutrient with fertilizer application to boost agricultural productivity.