Peri-urban market gardening centrifugal dynamics in Lome (Togo) in response to land pressure

This study, conducted in the eastern part of the city of Lome (capital and largest city of Togo), highlights the spatial dynamics of market gardening under land pressure. TerraMetrics satellite images from Google Earth archives for 2002, 2008 and 2014 were selected for the market gardening evolution analysis. A field survey based on semi-structured questionnaires was conducted to identify the gardeners' strategies. The observation points that geographical coordinates were recorded using a GPS sensor. Garden areas were evaluated using the QGIS software coupled with the Excel spreadsheet. The spatial and descriptive evolution of the market gardening areas since 2002 has thus been known. It was also possible to understand the spatial and temporal dynamics of these areas and to evaluate the strategies developed by the gardeners to cope with the land shortage. Market gardening land status is precarious; in average, surveyed gardeners lost 31 ha per year between 2002 and 2014, the total market gardening surface area falling from 530 to 160 ha.