THE NEXUS BETWEEN ENVIRONMENTAL DRIVERS AND ANTHROPOGENIC MITIGATING MEASURES IN SHAPING THE CONTEMPORARY LANDSCAPE OF SOIL DEGRADATION IN SOUTHERN KEBBI, NIGERIA

This study examines the nexus between environmental drivers and anthropogenic mitigating measures in shaping the contemporary landscape of soil degradation in Southern Kebbi, Nigeria. Soil erosion has emerged as a critical environmental challenge in the region, driven by a combination of natural factors particularly high-intensity rainfall, soil texture, topography, and climate variability and human-induced pressures such as deforestation, unsustainable agricultural practices, overgrazing, mining, and rapid land-use transformation. Using respondents’ perceptions, field measurements, and spatial evidence, the study establishes rainfall as the dominant natural driver of erosion, while deforestation and inappropriate land management practices constitute the most significant anthropogenic contributors. The consequences include loss of fertile topsoil, declining soil productivity, landscape instability, and increased vulnerability of rural livelihoods that depend largely on rain-fed agriculture. The study adopted a mixed-methods approach, integrating qualitative and quantitative techniques. Primary data were obtained through interviews, focus group discussions, structured questionnaires, and field observations, while soil sampling, GIS and remote sensing analyses, and land use/land cover (LULC) change detection for a 20-year period (2004–2024) provided quantitative and spatial evidence. Findings reveal that rainfall is the dominant natural driver of soil erosion (75%), while deforestation (45%), unsustainable agricultural practices (25%), and overgrazing (15%) are the leading anthropogenic causes. Gully erosion is the most prevalent form (38.57%), followed by rill (33.10%) and sheet erosion (28.33%). The area is dominated by sandy loam and loamy sand soils, with a mean soil pH of 5.90 and mean drainage of 36.2 mm/hr, conditions that increase erosion susceptibility. Vegetation cover declined from 409,274.22 ha in 2004 to 252,315.07 ha in 2024, while agricultural land expanded to 875,797.34 ha. The study recommends integrating indigenous management practices—such as agroforestry, contour farming, crop rotation, mulching, and controlled grazing with modern soil conservation measures and effective land-use policies to curb erosion, restore degraded landscapes, and promote sustainable agricultural livelihoods in Southern Kebbi, Nigeria.