RURBANISATION AND AGRICULTURAL DYNAMICS IN BAMBILI AND BAMBUI, NORTH WEST REGION OF CAMEROON

Abstract

The transformational path of a rural settlement into semi-urban and urban areas in the world dates back to the Industrial Revolution. Urban expansion is one of the determinants of agrarian system dynamics. In the Bambili-Bambui area, farm sizes are becoming relatively smaller within human settlements and tend to increase towards the rural fringes. The aim of the study is to examine the impact of rurbanization on agricultural dynamics in Bambili and Bambui. This is based on the premise that there is a direct impact of rurbanization on agricultural dynamics in Bambili and Bambui area. The methodology uses historical and correlational designs, divided into two periodical trends. A random sampling technique was used to administer 200 questionnaires to the population. Findings reveal that the process of rurbanization in this area has been profoundly linked to increasing land uses and space occupation at a rate of 80%. There has been a perfect positive correlation between rurbanization and agricultural dynamics. The study concludes that rurbanization has led to a reduction in farm sizes by 75%, resulting in competing land uses that have promoted the increase in land acquisition at the peripheries of Bambili and Bambui. This has headed to land pressures that have resulted to decrease in farm sizes at the peripheral areas. The study recommends the need for land use planning and urban growth regulation for sustainable agricultural development in Bambili and Bambui in the context of contemporary decentralization in Cameroon.

Key words: Rurbanisation, agricultural dynamics, land uses, Bambili and Bambui