Geospatial Assessment of Land Degradation and Rehabilitation Needs in Kebbi State

Land degradation in Kebbi State encompasses wind erosion, soil nutrient depletion, and waterlogging in fadama zones, posing interconnected threats to agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods in Nigeria's North West geopolitical zone. This study conducts a geospatial assessment of land degradation extent, severity, and spatial distribution across Kebbi State, with a focus on identifying areas of greatest rehabilitation need for prioritised investment. A degradation assessment framework was applied using the LADA (Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands) methodology, incorporating NDVI trend analysis from Landsat time series (2013 to 2023), soil organic carbon estimates from legacy soil surveys updated with field sampling at 60 stations, and wind erosion risk modelling using topography, vegetation cover, and wind speed data from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency. Results were cross-referenced with poverty incidence data from the National Bureau of Statistics to develop a combined land-poverty vulnerability map. Field assessments in Argungu, Yauri, and Danko-Wasagu LGAs verified remote-sensing-based degradation classifications and collected farmer perceptions of degradation trends and past rehabilitation experiences. Results identify approximately 38 percent of Kebbi State's land area as moderately to severely degraded, with the highest rehabilitation priority zones clustered in the north-eastern districts of the state bordering Niger Republic where wind erosion is most active. The study presents a rehabilitation investment prioritisation matrix categorising high-priority zones by dominant degradation type and recommended intervention suite. Recommendations centre on legume intercropping, conservation tillage adoption, and community-level degradation monitoring capacitation. Keywords: land degradation, rehabilitation, Kebbi State, North West Nigeria, geospatial assessment.