Agricultural Land Fragmentation and Food Security in Zamfara State

Land fragmentation is an often-overlooked dimension of agricultural vulnerability in Nigeria's North West geopolitical zone, where inheritance-driven subdivision of farmland parcels over successive generations has reduced average farm sizes to economically marginal levels. This study examines the extent of agricultural land fragmentation in Zamfara State and its implications for household food security across three local government areas: Anka, Bungudu, and Tsafe. Cadastral survey data and Google Earth imagery were used to estimate plot number and average plot size per household for a sample of 240 farm households. GPS field surveys delineated farm parcel boundaries and computed fragmentation indices including the Simmons Index and Simpson Index for sampled households. Household food insecurity was assessed using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale administered during structured interviews. Results indicate that average farm size across the sample has declined to 1.4 hectares per household, distributed across an average of 4.7 separate non-contiguous parcels. Fragmentation index scores correlate negatively with maize and sorghum yields (r = -0.58 and -0.53 respectively), reflecting the inefficiencies of managing dispersed small plots. Households in the highest fragmentation quintile report 38 percent higher food insecurity prevalence compared to the least fragmented quintile. Contextual factors including ongoing insecurity from bandit activities further constrain farming access in Anka LGA. The study recommends land consolidation programmes, cooperative farming models, and formalisation of land rights as priority interventions. Keywords: land fragmentation, food security, Zamfara State, smallholder farming, North West Nigeria.