Investigating the Land Uses Dynamics for the Application in Farmers Herders Crisis Using Geospatial Techniques in Parts of Kebbi State, Nigeria

For decades, substantial progress has not been made in mitigating farmers herder’s conflicts despite inter-communal transformations, revitalizing the traditional institutions and series of conflicts resolution mechanism, and Nigeria is not in exceptions. This study aims to analyze the spatial variation of land use dynamics in the study area between 1981 and 2021; identify the conflict zones and suitable areas for grazing or farming; examine the impact of the land use dynamic on the livelihoods of both pastoralist and rural farmers in Kebbi State. Primary and secondary datasets were used for this study. Primary data through questionnaire administration was used to extract socio-demographic, conflict information on sampled respondents of Bagudo, Bunza, Koko-Bese, Shanga and Suru local government areas. Secondary data through acquisition of multi-temporal satellite images were analyse and interpret the data on land use dynamics. A change detection method was then used to assess the changes in land use/cover units between 1982, 1992, 2002, and between 2012 and 2022 (Rawat and Kumar, 2015). The analysis revealed that the landscape had undergone changes of 82.4% within the years, change was intensified with about 37.3% from 1982 to 2002 and other changes of 45.1% from 2002 to 2022 having an average range of 18.7 and 22.6 respectively. The findings underscore the urgency of implementing robust conflict resolution strategies, sustainable land management practices, and environmental conservation measures to mitigate the socio-economic and ecological impacts of these conflicts.