Assessment of Soil Degradation in Zaria Area, Kaduna State, Nigeria

Assessment of Soil Degradation in Zaria Area, Kaduna State, Nigeria 

ABSTRACT  

This study aimed at an assessment of soil degradation in the Zaria area. Land degradation was assessed through a time- series analysis of Landsat Thematic Mapper 1990, Enhanced Thematic Mapper+, 1999 and NigeriaSat-1 2009 satellite imageries of the study area. The imageries were classified into seven different land use/cover types using the Maximum Likelihood Classifier. The second part of the research entailed field assessment of the physico–chemical status of the surface soils of the area with a view to demonstrating its degradation. 

Twenty-five composite soil samples comprising of four sub-samples were taken from five different land uses (plantation, badland, fadama, cultivated and scrubland land uses) and analysed for key soil physico-chemical properties, including particle size distribution, bulk density, porosity, moisture content, organic matter content, exchangeable cations, CEC and pH. The third part of this research involved a farm-level survey of farmers perception of soil degradation problem and coping strategies through the use of structured questionnaires and focus group discussions.

The analysis of variance (F-ratio) was used to test for variations in the selected soil properties over the five different land uses while the students t-test was used to test for significant association between pairs of land uses. Chi square analysis was used to test for significant changes in landuse/ land cover over the period under study, significant associations between farmers’ socio-demographic characteristics and coping strategies adopted. In addition, a Likert scale test was used to analyse respondents’ attitudes to soil degradation and perceptions of the severity of soil degradation.

The result of LULC showed that land use changes/ exchanges are occurring at rates not lower than 1.6% per annum. The results also show an upward trend for built up area. Result of Chi-square analysis carried out to determine the level of significant changes in the areal coverage of the different land use and land cover types for the periods studied showed statistical significance at p< 0.01, with a calculated X2 value of 612.09 and a table value of 26.2. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
Title page……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. i
Approval Page………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ii
Certification……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. iii
Dedication………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. iv
Acknowledgement…………………………………………………………………………………………………… v
Table of Contents……………………………………………………………………………………………………. vi
List of Tables………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. x
List of Figures………………………………………………………………………………………………………… xii
List of Appendices…………………………………………………………………………………………………… xiv
Abstract………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. xv

1.0 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………… 1
1.1 Background …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 1
1.2 Statement of Research Problem………………………………………………………………………… 4
1.3 Aim and Objectives………………………………………………………………………………………….. 6
1.4 Research Hypothesis………………………………………………………………………………………… 7
1.5 Scope of the Study……………………………………………………………………………………………. 7
1.6 Justification……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 8

2.0 CHAPTERTWO: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK AND LITERATURE
REVIEW………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 9
2.1 The Concepts of Soil Quality, Health and Degradation………………………………………. 9
2.2 Soil Degradation……………………………………………………………………………………………… 10
2.2.1 Types of soil degradation………………………………………………………………………………… 13
2.2.2 Causes of soil degradation………………………………………………………………………………… 14
2.2.3 Effects of soil degradation……………………………………………………………………………….. 17
2.3 Assessment of Soil Degradation……………………………………………………………………….. 20
2.3.1 Expert opinions……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 20
2.3.2 Use of models…………………………………………………………………………………………………. 21
2.3.3 Use of remote sensing and GIS…………………………………………………………………………. 22
2.3.4 Measurements of soil loss in the field………………………………………………………………… 23
2.3.5 Soil Survey…………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 24
2.3.6 Land user approach………………………………………………………………………………………….. 24
2.4 Global Assessment of Soil Degradation……………………………………………………………… 26
2.4.1 Summary of soil degradation assessment in Nigeria…………………………………………….. 29

3.0 CHAPTER THREE: THE STUDY AREA……………………………………………………. 33
3.1 Location and Historical Background of Zaria……………………………………………………. 33
3.2 The Physical Environment………………………………………………………………………………… 33
3.2.1 Climate…………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 33
3.2.2 Geology…………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 38
3.2.3 Geomorphology, relief and drainage………………………………………………………………….. 40
3.2.4 Soils………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 45
3.3 Plant and Animal Species…………………………………………………………………………………. 48
3.3.1 Ecosystem and vegetation community……………………………………………………………….. 48
3.4 Population and Settlement 51
3.5 Land use………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 52
3.6 Socio-economic and Cultural Conditions…………………………………………………………… 56
3.7 Environmental Problems………………………………………………………………………………….. 56

4.0 CHAPTER FOUR: MATERIALS AND METHODS…………………………………………. 60
4.1 Data Required and Sources………………………………………………………………………………. 60
4.2 Research Design and Methodology……………………………………………………………………. 60
4.2.1 Reconnaissance survey…………………………………………………………………………………….. 60
4.2.2 Assessment of land use and land cover………………………………………………………………. 61
4.2.2.1 Analysis of remote sensing data……………………………………………………………………… 61
4.2.2.2 Land use classification scheme………………………………………………………………………. 64
4.2.3 Soil degradation and farmers survey………………………………………………………………….. 70
4.2.3.1 Selection of study sites………………………………………………………………………………….. 70
4.2.3.2 Soil degradation survey…………………………………………………………………………………. 70
4.2.3.3 Farmers survey…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 72
4.3 Laboratory Analysis of Samples……………………………………………………………………….. 73
4.3.1 Particle size distribution…………………………………………………………………………………… 74
4.3.2 Bulk density and moisture content…………………………………………………………………….. 75
4.3.3 Soil pH (1:2.5)………………………………………………………………………………………………… 76
4.3.4 Organic carbon……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 76
4.3.5 Cation exchange capacity…………………………………………………………………………………. 77
4.3.6 Exchangeable bases…………………………………………………………………………………………. 78
4.3.7 Exchange acidity…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 79
4.4 Data Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 79

5.0 CHAPTER FIVE: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION……………………………………………. 81

6.0 CHAPTER SIX: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS….. 148
REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 157
APPENDICES……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 169

 

INTRODUCTION   

Soil is one of the world’s greatest resource. It has been described as a natural body of animal, mineral and organic constituents, differentiated into horizons of variable depth which differ in morphology and physical, chemical and biological characteristics (Joffe, 1948). It is an important natural resource that either directly or indirectly supports most of the planet’s life. A major function of soil on man is that it supports food supply and food security. Soils affect food security directly because it supports agriculture.

Agriculture produces the food we eat and provides the primary source of livelihood for 36% of the world’s total workforce (ILO, 2007). Therefore, threat to soil is threat to food security and economies which rely on agriculture. Food security is directly linked to the ability of the land to support populations (Scherr and Yadav, 1996). Global concern about soil degradation has grown because of its threat to agriculture and food security.

Low agricultural production, food insecurity, low income of the rural population and poverty are consequences of soil degradation (Junge, Deji, AbaidooChikoye and Stahr, 2008). Agcaoili, Perez and Rosegrant (1995) estimated that increasing degradation would lead to as much as 10% decline in productivity in the developing countries and could lead to worsening malnutrition in the developing world.

Some of the challenges posed by soil degradation to food security in the developing countries are; long-term investment and appropriate technology development, dampened economic growth effects of lower farm incomes in irrigated, high quality rain fed and densely populated marginal lands due to lost soil productivity and threat to nutrition and deaths from malnutrition 2 and diseases associated with poor diets (Eswaran, Almaraz, Van den Berg and Reich, 1997; Swift and Shepherd, 2007)

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