Land Speculation and the Marginalization of Women Smallholder Farmers in Nigeria

• In Event: Women, Gender, and Democracy in Africa

Abstract

The unprecedented increase in the demand for housing in the urban centers are forcing real estate developers and land speculators to move into rural communities in search for new areas to develop new housing units and towns; this usually comes at the expense of smallholder farmers, especially women in rural communities. On the background of the challenges face by women smallholder farmers ion rural communities on access to farm lands, this paper examines the dynamics and impacts of land speculations in rural communities in Ibadan, Nigeria, with a specific focus on the Real Estate industry's role in the marginalization of women smallholder farmers in accessing lands for use in rural communities in Ibadan, Nigeria. The study utilized both primary and secondary data, which were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Ten smallholder farmers, five real estate agents and three government officials were interviewed for primary data. Secondary data were collected from archival review of documents on land acquisition and usage in Ibadan, Nigeria. Court documents relating to litigations on land disputes were also reviewed. Results show that land acquisition in rural communities in Ibadan majorly involves the acquisition of land by large corporate interests for the production of low-cost housing units with smallholder farmers at the receiving end. The study also indicates that the state government in Oyo state has played a significant role in this process by granting lease documents to land speculators at the expense of smallholder farmers. The impacts of land speculations are multifaceted, significant, and long-lasting effect on the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of local communities. Women smallholder farmers have lost their only source of livelihood, with many becoming impoverished and unable to sustain their families. Real estate companies turn agrarian lands into housing units, degrading the biodiversity in the process and rendering many smallholder farmers unemployed. The paper recommended increased awareness and advocacy to help women smallholder farmers claim their rights to land; a more transparent land acquisition and management process by government agencies, and the protection of small-scale farming.

Author

• Lateef Olalekan AREMU, The Nigerian Institute of International Affairs