The Impacts Of Urban Expansion On The Livelhoods Of The Surrounding Rural Farming Communities And The Bio-Physical Environment: The Case Of Jimma City Administration, Oromia National Regional State, South West Ethiopia

Abstract

This study focused on analyzing the impacts of the expansion of Jimma City Administration on the livelihoods of the surrounding rural farming communities and the biophysical environment. On this research is across-sectional in its type, and it employed a descriptive survey design. Out of 2530 target population of the study, 384 households were taken by using the Kotharie formula with a combination of purposive and convenient random sampling techniques. Data were collected from sampled household heads using questionnaires, surveys, focus group discussions and key informant interviews. In addition, city leaders, village administrators, various professionals and experts were sampled via systematic random sampling technique and judgmental technique for Focus Group Discussion (FG) and interview. The results disclosed that most of the damage caused by urban expansion was loss of agricultural land, loss of housing, animal migration, deforestation, soil erosion and drought. The most impact of urban expansion on the community has been mentioned to be loss of farm land and biodiversity. Similarly, the major environmental problems in the areas affected by urban expansion are loss of agricultural land, pasture land, vegetation land coupled with deforestation, livestock migration, and drought and soil erosion. Land use is spatial, and there are often modifications to build land cover more towards land use. The livelihood condition of periurban community has been changed to non-agricultural, and there is also policy and strategy gaps for expropriating and compensating the affected community. Thus, the dislocation program is not rehabilitative, and it negatively affected the livelihood of the dislocated farming community. Therefore, landholder expropriate should be recompensed for equal socio-economic benefits from urbanization. Skill oriented training for new livelihood and rehabilitating strategy for the affected community should be done. Equally important, farmers should get a significant amount of compensation so as to let them lead a stable livelihood.