Quantitative Assessment of Land Cover Sensitivity to Desertification in Maigatari Local Government Area, Jigawa State, Nigeria

Desertification alludes to land degradation in arid, semi-arid and sub-humid regions resulting from various variables, counting climatic variations and human activities. When land degradation transpire within the world’s drylands. It regularly makes desert-like conditions. Land degradation occurs all over, but is characterized as desertification when it occurs within the drylands. The study employed adjusted MEDALUS methodology using eleven indicators rainfall, evapotranspiration, aridity, soil texture, soil depth, slope gradient, drainage density, plant cover, erosion protection, sensitivity desertification index and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Remote Sensing and GIS were the main techniques used in the indices computations and mapping. Thus, Shuttle Rader Topographic Map (SRTM) and Landsat 8 satellite imagery for the year 2019 with 30 meter resolution, captured in the month of August (rainy season), covering the study area were acquired from Global Land cover Facility (GLCF) University of Maryland. The study finds that the duration and intensity of rainfall is declining especially at the edge of the desert, extreme north and western part of the area. Rain quickly drained through infiltration and surface runoff which carried the little nutrients attached to the soil. Rainfall and climate is of arid type recording about 300-400mm of rainfall and the soil is low in organic matter content making it weak and less fertile and support only the cultivation of cereals and legumes. The study recommends that there is need to strengthen the laws and policies in controlling desertification and land degradation, establishment of shelterbelts to control desertification and act also as wind breakers and encourage the use of modern techniques such as drip irrigation to check the rate of infiltration and runoff.