Soji Adelaja has a plan for Michigan

MSU land policy expert strives to conserve farms, minimize sprawl

photo & story by stefanie carano

Soji Adelaja, John A. Hanna Distinguished Professor in Land Use Policy.

The growing cities of Nigeria may seem worlds away from Michigan’s 10 million acres of farmland, but Soji Adelaja knows a common link: both places have limited resources and need to plan wisely for the future.

Adelaja, originally from Legros, Nigeria, joined Michigan State University this year as the new John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor in Land Use Policy. He has lived in the United States since age 17 and recognizes that responsible land use is a global and local issue.

“The world has limited resources,” Adelaja said. “The land in Michigan is all we’re going to have. We don’t think enough of how we’re going to enhance the environment.”

During his career as a land use researcher, Adelaja has observed sprawl in developing countries — where the problems are generally associated with migration from small villages into cities and suburbs — and in the United States, where cities are abandoned for newer suburban developments.

“The city I was born in, the traffic is extremely unmanageable during the day,” he said. “South Africa, Ghana, they’re facing similar issues…but they haven’t got to a point yet where they’re saying ‘let’s manage growth.’”

Adelaja, previously with Rutgers University in Agricultural Economics and Marketing, cited two goals for Michigan land use policy: revitalizing farms across the state and becoming less economically reliant on industries that can harm public health and the natural environment, such as manufacturing.

While at Rutgers, Adelaja’s research helped shape New Jersey’s $40 million Agricultural Economic Recovery and Development Initiative. The Initiative, and several other laws Adelaja’s research supported, enhances economic development opportunities throughout the state, he said, by providing management and financial education to farmers, and research information to policy makers.

Now that his focus is on Michigan, Adelaja said he strives to influence land use that would benefit the environment, health and economic well being of the state’s residents.
Adelaja spends most of his days out of the office.

Half of his time he is meeting with Michigan State University leaders to increase land use awareness and promote land grants.

The other half includes trips across Michigan to speak with mayors, community health experts, lawmakers, planning and zoning officials and local citizens who can influence and interpret a city’s needs regarding more effective land use. Adelaja consults community leaders about how to relieve land use problems.

“Land use is probably the most important domestic issue,” said Adelaja, who has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural mechanization from Pennsylvania State University and a doctorate in agricultural economics from West Virginia University.

“It affects our quality of life, our health, our eco-system, our business infrastructure and our property taxes.”

One of Adelaja’s passions is working to encourage growth in developed cities.
“Many people are moving away from the city, jobs are moving away from the city and those are land use decisions,” he said.

Developed cities, he said, already have all the necessary resources to adequately serve large populations with sewer systems, housing, sidewalks and commerce.

“In spite of the fact that we have sewer capacity in the city, we go out to the suburbs and basically build what we already have in the city,” he said, noting land and resource use in suburban areas is higher than in cities.

“The average family that moves away from a city into a suburb consumes multiples of the land that they had in the city,” Adelaja said. “Nobody replaces them in the city; it’s just used and spent.”

Adelaja said he always dreamed of using his life in a way that would make a difference. He said he wants to make a better world for future generations.

“If we over-extract land now, what’s going to happen to my child and my grandchild, and my great-grandchild?"

Adelaja predicts there is still time to promote and preserve Michigan farmland and rural areas.

“There is still potential to strengthen agriculture so agriculture can stay in business,” he said. “We still have abundant, good-quality land. We still have a significant amount of open space in this state. The majority of our state is still not built yet.”

“Most of what it takes to manage the future of our state is still in our control."

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