Paper short abstract:

Rural development hinges on access to land, yet land tenure systems and expropriation threaten the livelihoods of farmers. While land ownership fuels rural productivity and sustainability, insecure tenure and expropriation undermine farmers' well-being.

Paper long abstract:

The rural economy relies heavily on land for agricultural production. However, the existing land tenure system, with its ambiguities and potential for expropriation, jeopardizes the livelihoods of rural farmers, hindering their ability to invest in sustainable practices and secure their future.

The study assessed the effects of land expropriation on the livelihood outcomes (poverty and food security) of rural farming households in Ogun state, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was employed to get a sample size of 400 respondents, using a well-structured questionnaire to collect the primary data for the study. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Ordered Logit, and Tobit regression. Poverty and food security analyses were carried out using the Multinomial Poverty Index (MPI) and USAID 18-questions household food security framework, respectively.

Findings revealed that a considerable proportion of the expropriated landowners have not been compensated for their expropriated land. The households were moderately food secure. MPI results showed variations in multidimensional deprivation. Influencers of food security were found to be age (p