Abstract:
Urban areas in Ethiopia have been growing very quickly in recent decades, which have led to
ever increasing demand for land for housing and other non-agricultural activities. Dukem town
is one of the highly experiencing agricultural land conversions for different purposes. This has
several impacts on the peri-urban areas of the farming communities. Therefore, the objective of
this study was to assess Urban Expansion and its Impact on the livelihoods of the Farming
Communities: The Case of Dukem City, Oromia Region, Ethiopia. GIS and remote sensing were
used to analysed the phenomena of agricultural land transformation into urban land use. Data
sources were both quantitative and qualitative data collection. In assessing the impacts of
urbanization on farmers, a sample of 150 of farmers were selected out of the 32,015 displaced
and non-displace farmers from three kebeles. The necessary data were gathered through focus
group discussions and semi-structured interviews and both close- ended and open-ended
questionnaires.Quantitative data were analysed by the use of mainly mean, frequency
distribution tables, percentages, standard deviation. Qualitative data were organized and
analysed in word description form/ in the form of verbal/ narrative information. The processes of
rapid urban expansion have caused an extensive Agricultural Land Conversion (ALC) that has
seriously affected the livelihoods of farming communities, through reducing farmland size,
amounts of food crop production and number of livestock, which lead to landless, displacement,
unemployment and food insecurity. The results indicate that built-up areas were fast increment
from 90.23ha to 1000.45ha in (2000-2010), from 1000.45ha to 2243.24ha in (2010-2020) and a
total gain 2153.01ha within 20 years (2000-2020). The mean land holding size per household
was 2.02 hectare. However, after urban expansion the mean total land size owned by households
decreased to 0.98 ha and also the crop production per farm household was reduced to 14.63
yearly mean total quintals from 34.33. Similarly, before urban expansion nearly 12 mean
livestock assets per households. But, after urban expansion the average livestock assets per
household dropped to 7. The study recommends that compensation law should be revised in a
manner of the current issues and inflation rates and local government, non-government
organizations, private investors and higher education institutions should provide trainings, skill
development and other capacity building services to these farming communities
