From Agriculture to Urban: Land Use Changes in Ho Municipality, Ghana.

Abstract

This paper examines land use and land cover (LULC) changes in the Ho Municipality, a secondary city in Ghana, over a twenty-year period (2004–2024). Using a mixed methods approach that integrates remote sensing analysis of Landsat images with in-depth interviews of residents and municipal officials, the study quantifies spatial transformations and explores their social and economic drivers. The results show that built-up areas expanded nearly fourfold, largely at the expense of farmland and grasslands. While this pattern is consistent with the late stage of Urban Transition Theory, the Ho case reveals distinctive dynamics: land revaluation is incremental and household-led rather than driven by large-scale developers, and livelihood transitions remain limited due to a narrow economic base. Farmers and residents increasingly view land as a financial asset for rental housing and commercial development, reflecting a shift from agrarian to rent-based livelihoods. The findings demonstrate that secondary cities like Ho experience urban land transitions without corresponding economic diversification, deepening livelihood precarity while accelerating environmental degradation. By situating Ho within wider African urbanization debates, the paper highlights the need for context-sensitive planning and governance frameworks that can mediate land commodification while safeguarding livelihoods and ecological sustainability.