SOIL DEGRADATION IN DRYLANDS

The paper attempts to highlight some of the issues of soil degradation. The paper has been divided into two. The first part analysed the issues of soil degradation were it shows that Soil degradation is widely recognized as a global problem associated with desertification in arid, semiarid and dry sub-humid zones, commonly called the ‘drylands’. Yet, land degradation is a contested topic in its determinants, degree, distribution and effects. While the second part analyses the use of GIS and remote sensing in the analysis, determination and quantification of land degradation which shows that is more accurate and economical than the traditional method. The use of GIS and remote sensing in analyzing erosion and salinity has been determined. It also indicated that several models were applied for the analysis especially the use of RUSLE model when analyzing soil erosion. The study concluded that most of the World degraded areas; Africa has fallen within the most highly vulnerable zone.