Agricultural Expansion and Urbanization as Drivers of Malaria Transmission: A Narrative Review

Taliikwa Nicholas Ceaser

Department of Pharmacognosy Kampala International University Uganda

Email:ceaser.taliikwa@studwc.kiu.ac.ug

                                                                                       ABSTRACT
Malaria transmission is increasingly shaped by rapid land-use and demographic transitions. Agricultural expansion alters vector ecology through deforestation, irrigation, crop intensification, and labor migration, often creating new larval habitats, changing mosquito species composition, and increasing human–vector contact. Urbanization has historically been associated with reduced malaria risk via improved housing, infrastructure, and reduced vector breeding sites; however, unplanned urban growth, peri-urban agriculture, informal settlements, human mobility, and the invasion of urban-adapted vectors (notably Anopheles stephensi) are reshaping urban malaria epidemiology. This review synthesizes evidence on mechanisms linking agricultural expansion and urbanization to malaria transmission, highlights context-specific pathways (with emphasis on sub-Saharan Africa), and proposes an integrated landscape–city approach for malaria control aligned with development planning.

Keywords: malaria, land-use change, deforestation, irrigation, Anopheles stephensi, human mobility, vector ecology.

CITE AS: Taliikwa Nicholas Ceaser. (2026). Agricultural Expansion and Urbanization as Drivers of Malaria Transmission: A Narrative Review. IDOSR JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 12(2):53-57, 2026. https://doi.org/10.59298/IDOSR/JST/26/122.5357