Assessment of Wind Erosion and Desertification Indicators in Katsina State, North West Nigeria

This study assesses wind erosion intensity and desertification indicators in Katsina State, located in Nigeria's North West geopolitical zone. Katsina State lies within Nigeria's most vulnerable zone for desertification, where the advancing Sahara Desert, seasonal harmattan winds, low vegetation cover, and dryland farming practices combine to create an environment of accelerating land degradation. Using a field assessment design, 30 sites across five local government areas spanning from the northern border to the central agricultural zone were surveyed. Wind erosion indicators assessed included sand dune encroachment extent, particle size fractionation of surface soils, organic matter content, vegetation density by line intercept, and farm abandonment rates from satellite imagery cross-checked with community interviews. Desertification was also assessed using the MEDALUS (Mediterranean Desertification and Land Use) index adapted for the semi-arid context. Findings revealed that northern local government areas had sand encroachment rates of 0.8 to 1.5 km per year based on comparison of historical and current satellite imagery. Surface organic matter was negligible (below 0.3%) in the most degraded northern sites, and soil texture showed coarsening due to loss of fine particles by deflation. Abandoned farmland accounted for 18 percent of the surveyed area in the northernmost local government. The study recommends emergency shelterbelts using drought-resistant Acacia and Azadirachta species, sand dune fixation, and community land tenure reforms to incentivise land rehabilitation investment. Keywords: wind erosion, desertification, Katsina State, sand dune, land degradation.