Peri-Urban Land Suitability Analysis for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security Using Space Derived Data in Makurdi, Benue State

Soil properties in Makurdi’s peri-urban areas are critical factors for sustainable food production. The increasing insecurity in rural areas in Benue State has led to widespread displacement of farmers, and the expansion of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in and around the peri-urban, thus, making it a pressure zone for intensive agricultural cultivation. The study investigates the agricultural land in Makurdi's peri-urban zone in order to promote sustainable farming. This is accomplished by determining and integrating soil parameters (soil pH, organic matter, N, P, K). Samples were collected using a stratified random sampling method based on soil variability. A total of 100 soil samples were gathered from various farmlands around the peri-urban zone and analyzed in the laboratory. The spatial analysis was performed using the inverse distance weighting interpolation (IDW) approach. The results revealed three textural classes predominantly sandy loam with spatial coverage of 1120.07 Km2 , accounting for 82.25% of the area. The soil pH ranged from less than 5 to 7.1, with slightly acidic, moderately acidic, and strongly acidic soil accounting for 32.9%, 21.2%, and 22.1%. This clearly demonstrates that acidic soil with a pH range of 5-6.1 is found in more than 80% of the whole area. The study area has a diverse spatial distribution of soil organic matter concentration, with moderate level (OM) accounting for 42.9% of the total area. Total nitrogen (N) levels varies from 0.0286 - 0.144. The IDW with low (0.06), moderate (0.076) and high levels (0.096) of available N distributed in the north, central and southern parts. These covered more than 80% of the study area with spatial coverage of 346.64, 351.37 and 396.18 Km2 representing 25.5%, 25.8% and 29.1%. The spatial distribution of the available Phosphorus (P) showed that the soil with low and moderate content (3.996mg kg-1 ) and (5.135 mg kg-1 ) covered more than 61% of the total area, extending to the central parts as well as to the eastern and southern parts. The available potassium (K) concentration varies from 0.16 – 0.489 cmol (+)/kg. The distribution appears to have nearly comparable concentrations at the low, moderate, and high levels accounting for 22.7%, 25.8% and 28.2% respectively. The weighted overlay analysis of soil properties show that more than 95% of the region isp suitable, with locations ranging from moderately suitable to suitable spanning 1,360.22 Km2 of the total area of 1,381.83 km2 . Overall, the results reveal that more than 98.36% of the land is adequately suited for food production. Despite population increase and increasing insecurity, the land has historically supported agricultural practices for food availability in cities and IDP camps. Areas with high suitability can be further investigated for the purpose of setting up large scale integrated farms that can improve the state’s capacity in agriculture and contribute towards food security. The study therefore suggests a relatively large-scale cultivation of exotic crops in the peri-urban region for income generation and improved livelihood.