This study assessed the impact of land use and land cover (LULC) change on food security in Kamonyi District, Rwanda, from 2010 to 2025. The analysis was based on Landsat satellite imagery, agricultural production data, and food security indicator...
This study assessed the impact of land use and land cover (LULC) change on food security in Kamonyi District, Rwanda, from 2010 to 2025. The analysis was based on Landsat satellite imagery, agricultural production data, and food security indicators. LULC classification and change detection were carried out using GIS and remote sensing techniques, while food security was evaluated using production (P), crop productivity (CPI), cropping intensity (CI), and related indicators. Correlation and two-way ANOVA analyses were applied to examine the relationships and statistical significance of LULC effects on food production. The results showed significant land use changes, including a decline in agricultural land from 176.0 km² to 134.0 km² (2010–2020), an increase in residential areas, and continuous forest reduction. Despite reduced land availability, total production increased from 316,130 MT to 547,834 MT due to improved productivity (4.69 to 7.61 t/ha) and cropping intensity (50% to 75%). Correlation analysis indicated a strong relationship between production and productivity (r = 0.987), while ANOVA results confirmed that CPI and CI significantly affect production, whereas agricultural land area alone is not statistically significant. These findings demonstrate that agricultural intensification is the main driver of food production. However, declining NDVI values indicate environmental degradation, which may threaten long-term sustainability. Overall, the study concludes that LULC change affects food security indirectly through intensification rather than land expansion, highlighting the need to balance productivity with environmental conservation. Keywords: Land Use/Land Cover Change; Urbanization; Agricultural Expansion; Food security, Crop productivity, Cropping intensity, NDVI, Agriculture production,Forest Degradation; Change Detection; Remote Sensing; GIS; Kamonyi District; Rwanda