How does urbanization impact farmland and agricultural land use patterns?

• A. It reduces available farmland, increases land values, and encourages peri-urban agriculture or shifts to higher-value crops near markets.
• B. It increases available farmland and decreases land values near cities.
• C. It has no effect on farmland or land use.
• D. It causes a uniform shift to low-value crops across rural areas.

Answer: (B)

Urbanization concentrates demand for land close to markets, so land near cities becomes more valuable and is often converted from farmland to housing, roads, and other urban uses. This pushes the amount of land available for farming downward while incentives for farmers near cities rise to maximize value. As a result, farming tends to shift toward peri-urban areas or toward higher-value crops that can be sold quickly to urban markets, rather than remaining as low-value, extensive farming. In short, urban growth typically reduces available farmland, raises land values near cities, and encourages farming to adapt by intensifying near-market production or focusing on high-value crops.