Professional Evaluation of Soil Degradation Hotspots in the Sahel Zone of Borno State, North East Nigeria

This study conducts a professional evaluation of soil degradation hotspots in the Sahel zone of Borno State, located in Nigeria's North East geopolitical zone, to prioritise land rehabilitation investment in the context of insecurity-driven agricultural recovery. The compounding impacts of insurgency, climate change, and soil degradation have severely undermined agricultural productivity in the Borno Sahel, and evidence-based identification of priority degradation hotspots is essential for directing limited rehabilitation resources effectively. Using a remote sensing and field assessment methodology, satellite imagery (Landsat 8 and Sentinel-1) from 2017 to 2023 was analysed for vegetation index change (NDVI trend analysis), land cover change classification, and surface soil moisture anomaly mapping over the accessible portions of Maiduguri, Konduga, and Dikwa local government areas. Field verification was conducted at 30 accessible sites. Soil physical and chemical degradation indicators were measured at each field site. A professional degradation severity rating was assigned to each site using the GLASOD (Global Assessment of Soil Degradation) methodology. Findings revealed that 34 percent of the Sahel study area showed moderate to severe vegetation cover decline, correlated with soil organic matter depletion and advancing sand encroachment. Critical hotspots were concentrated north and east of Maiduguri in historically settled agricultural zones now abandoned due to insecurity. The study delivers a spatial degradation hotspot prioritisation map and a phased rehabilitation investment plan for submission to NEXIM, World Bank, and state government recovery planning bodies. Keywords: soil degradation, Sahel, Borno State, remote sensing, rehabilitation planning.