An Assessment of the Impact of Limestone Mining on Agricultural Activities around Kalambaina Area, Wamakko Local Government, Sokoto State, Nigeria

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume III, Issue VIII, August 2019 | ISSN 2454–6186

An Assessment of the Impact of Limestone Mining on Agricultural Activities around Kalambaina Area, Wamakko Local Government, Sokoto State, Nigeria

Hayatu Dangaladima
Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Sokoto State University, Sokoto, Nigeria

Abstract: – Mining has been linked to various environmental challenges such as land degradation, landslide, soil erosion and flooding. Land degradation is believed to be one of the major ways in which mining of minerals affects agricultural production in areas where such activities takes place. This paper is aimed at assessing such effects of mining on agriculture around Kalambaina area of Wamakko Local Government, Sokoto State, where limestone is been mined by the Cement Company of Northern Nigeria, Plc. A total number of 338 questionnaires were distributed to respondents randomly selected to represent different households in the study area. The result of the study reveals a reduction in crop yield among farmers in the study area, which could be attributed to the impact of land degradation due to the mining activities around the area. Though the Peason’s correlation used in testing the hypothesis fails to reveal a significance relationship between the mining activities by the Company and the low crop yield experienced in the study area. The study recommended for more efforts particularly on land reclamation and adequate compensation by the Company to the affected farmers so as to cushion these effects.

Keywords: Mining, Limestone, Land Degradation, Crop Yields.

I. INTRODUCTION

Mining generally refers to the extraction or removal of ore from the ground. According to Acheampong (2004), it is the removal of minerals from the earth crust in the service of man. It is the selective recovery of minerals, and materials, other than recently formed organic materials from the crust of the earth. From the above definitions, it can be deduced that mining is human activity that deals with the excavation and extractions, it can be deduced that mining is a human activity that deals with the excavation and extraction of valuable materials from the earth crust other than agricultural products. Such materials mined by humankind are broadly grouped as fuels, metals, and non-metabolic minerals.

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