IMPACTS OF EROSION ON LANDS IN NOTHERN NIGERIA (1).docx (original) (raw)
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SOIL EROSION IN NIGERIA: THE VIEWS OF A GEOMORPHOLOGIST
Soil erosion-which is simply a systematic removal of soil, including plant nutrients, from the land surface by the various agents of denudation occurs in several parts of Nigeria under different geological, climatic and soil conditions. But the degree of occurrence varies considerably from one part of the country to the other. Thus, while it is true to observe that soil erosion is one of the most striking features on the land surface of Southeastern Nigeria, especially in Omambala (Anambra) and Imo States, only rare occurrences of the phenomenon are recorded in some other States of the Federation. Equally varied are the factors responsible for the inception and development of erosion, as well as the types that exist in several parts of the country.
A Review of the menace of soil erosion in Nigeria with specific reference to Southeastern States
2019
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Soil Erosion in South Eastern Nigeria: A Review
2017
The development of gullies and other forms of erosion have become the greatest environmental hazard and disaster rampant in southeastern Nigeria. Agricultural productivity, sustainability and management for food security/sustenance in this region has been undermined and greatly limited by the menace posed by soil erosion while the availability of farmlands for agricultural production and construction activities have been greatly reduced by losses caused by the attendant issues of soil erosion. Through productive review of existing research and field observation this paper presents a comprehensive review of the causes and effects of soil erosion as well as control measures aimed at reducing and mitigating the threats posed by soil erosion within the region. From the study the major causes of soil erosion within the study area were narrowed down to human interference, climatic factors (rainfall), poor geology, undulating topography and soil nature while control measures such as cultiv...
SOIL EROSION ASSESSMENT AT THE UDI-NSUKKA CUESTA (SOUTHEASTERN NIGERIA)
Biophysical and participatory research methods were combined to examine factors contributing to soil erosion at ®eld plot, village and regional scale on the sandstone dominated Udi-Nsukka Cuesta in southeastern Nigeria. At ®eld plot scale, the properties of seven pedons were related to soil erodibility. Very high in®ltration rates measured with a double ring in®ltrometer and permeameter, were not in accordance to reported runo and soil loss. The eect of groundcover and canopy height was incorporated into rainfall erosivity for plots under cashew, oil palm dominated forest and secondary natural vegetation. Cropping systems and ®eld management practices were compared for dierent positions along a toposequence traversing the plateau and escarpment of the Udi-Nsukka Cuesta. Soil loss, calculated by a modi®ed version of the universal soil loss equation, was 10 to 100 times higher on escarpment than on plateau plots. Farmers are adapting to the problems of interrill and rill erosion through careful crop selection and rotation, and contour ridging. At the village and regional scale, terrain observations were compared to archival research, historical accounts by villagers and geographic analysis of 1962 aerial photographs (1 : 40 000). Ravine and gully formations seemed in¯uenced by a combination of infrastructure, geohydrology, topography, vegetation and land use. Both community eorts and state measures to combat erosion tend to be crisis managed, and are concentrated on repairing damage to economically important infrastructures. A conceptual diagram has been developed to show the complex interaction between various geophysical, agroecological, socio-economic and political components in¯uencing soil erosion at farm, village and regional scale.
Soil erosion risk assessment: a case study of the Jos Plateau, Nigeria
Nigerian Journal of Soil Science, 2021
Soil erosion is a treat to global food security. The objective of this study was to evaluate factors influencing erosion on the arable lands of the Jos Plateau; and to estimate the extent of soil erosion in the area. Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) model was used to evaluate soil erosion processes in the study area. This was facilitated with the aid of Geographic Information System Both for Interpolation and Geospatial analysis. Soil data from field survey was the primary source of data for analysis of soil erodibility. Topographic factor was determined from 90-meter elevation data. Rainfall erosivity was determined from rainfall data at 1 kilometer resolution. Whereas vegetation cover factor was determined from Normalized Difference Vegetation Index. Results of the study indicate that rainfall erosivity values were remarkably high and have mean values of 5117MJ.mm/ ha.h.y. Analysis of percent areal coverage indicate that the entire area had 52, 34, 7, and 7% low, moderate, high and very high topographic factors respectively. Further analysis indicate that anthropogenic factors had severely affected vegetation coverage of the Jos plateau, especially on the arable lands. Furthermore, during this research, the mean annual actual and potential soil erosion rates were estimated spatially over the Jos Plateau area. Soil erosion rates were far more than tolerable rates thereby affecting soil fertility and productivity.
Indigenous views of soil erosion at Fandou Béri, southwestern Niger
Geoderma, 2003
Soil is being eroded from the village lands of Fandou Béri, in southwestern Niger, at rates of over 30 t ha À 1 year À 1 , as measured by the 137 Cs method. These figures exceed those that were used to label the Sahel a ''hot spot'' for soil erosion. The response to these data in international agronomic research organisations has been to make large investments in soil erosion research, but this contrasts with the meagre relative commitment to the problem by local Djerma (Zarma) and Fulani farmers.
Soil erosion is one of the challenges of Nigerian agriculture. The present study therefore aimed at surveying prevailing types of soil erosion in Central Senatorial District (Tsafe, Gusau, Bungudu and Maru Local Governments) of Zamfara State-Nigeria, their causes, effects and some measures adopted by farmers in soil and water conservation. Three district each from Gusau and Maru local governments were randomly selected and stratified random sampling technique was employed in selecting seven (7) villages from the districts of Gusau and nine (9) from that of Maru. Structured questionnaires were administered to 200 farmers and the data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Result showed majority of the farmers sampled were having ages of ≥ 60 years with Qur'anic education and farm size of 1 to 5 ha mostly acquired by inheritance. Mixed cropping is widely practiced with rill erosion as the prevalent type having moderate severity on their farms detected through decline in productivity, occurrence of rills and gullies. Continuous and clean cultivation, topography, soil and rainfall characteristics were among the causes of erosion in the study area with damages to include loss of productive soil, silting, drifting and land fragmentation. The conservation practices including manure application, cover cropping, drainages, contour farming and minimum or zero tillage are being adopted by the farmers for sustainable crop production.
Long Term Assessment and Mapping of Erosion Hotspots in South East Nigeria
2013
The south east Nigeria has greatly been impacted by soil erosion. This has largely been attributed to extensive use of land for agricultural purposes ("overfarming") due to high population density (Grove, 1951). Erosion is commonly associated with environmental problems such as decreased land productivity, challenges to agricultural sustainability, degradation of soil and water quality, and indirect pollution of the environment through the transport of contaminants such as agricultural and industrial waste attached to sediments to other parts of the environment and the hydrographic network (American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, 2002, Kostadinov, 2002). Most of these problems are currently being experienced in the south east of Nigeria and thus generating a high level of concern among the populace (