Disaster Risk Implications of Urban Expansion and Its Impact on Food Security and Livelihood Systems in the Greater Port Harcourt Region of Rivers State

Abstract

This study examines the impact of urban expansion on food security and livelihoods in the Greater Port Harcourt region of Rivers State. Over the years, the region has experienced phenomenal urban growth, leading to both approved and unapproved conversion of productive agricultural land to other uses, including residential, commercial, industrial, and infrastructure. These changes have created significant challenges for local food production and distorted the livelihood systems of food-producing communities. The study explicitly investigates the effects of these land-use conversions, driven by urban expansion, on the local food production chain, which has also led to rapid rural-urban migration, urban-rural conflict, distorted livelihood systems, land fragmentation, and the loss of productive agricultural land. This scenario has engendered acute food shortages. A quantitative research design was adopted, using structured questionnaires administered to 398 respondents selected from four LGAs in the Greater Port Harcourt Area. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, including frequencies, percentages, mean scores, and Likert-scale ranking. The findings revealed that unprecedented land-use change and urban expansion have major implications for food prices, arable land loss, reduced local food production, and displacement of smallholder farmers. The study concludes that uncontrolled urban expansion poses significant threats to agricultural land availability, rural livelihoods, and local food security. The study recommends integrating agricultural land protection into urban planning policies, improving land-use regulation, preserving peri-urban agricultural zones, and adopting sustainable urban growth strategies in peri-urban areas through containment boundaries.