Drought and drought mitigation in Yobe State, Nigeria

Abstract

Drought is regarded as a natural phenomenon and its impacts accumulate slowly over a long period. It is considered to be insufficient precipitation that leads to water scarcity, as triggered by meteorological parameters, such as temperature, precipitation and humidity. However, drought mitigation has mostly been reactive, but this has been challenged by extreme events globally. Many countries and regions around the world have made efforts in mitigating drought impacts, including Nigeria. This research produced frameworks for drought amelioration and management as a planning tool for Yobe State, Nigeria. Mixed methods were employed to investigate the effects of drought; 1,040 questionnaires were administered to farmers in three regions of Yobe State (South, North and East). Some 721 were returned, representing a 69.3% return rate. Drought is pronounced in the State and has been recent over the years; it has also affected many people, with losses of ~70-80% of their harvests and livestock. Drought coping strategies have also caused environmental degradation in Yobe State. Farmers over-harvest their farms, practise deforestation and over-exploit wild animals. Several efforts to mitigate the impacts of drought by the Nigerian Government have failed, thus this research adopts a bottom-top approach to mitigate drought impacts in Yobe State. Focus Group Discussions (FGD) were also conducted at government and community levels to gather farmers’ and government officials’ opinions on their drought experience and suggestions for mitigation measures. Farmers believed that rainfall is their main problem and officials pointed that there are no proper drought mitigation plans in Yobe State. Four validated drought mitigation and management frameworks were developed for Yobe State. The frameworks were evaluated pre-use through respondent validation. State officials and farmers believed that these frameworks will reduce the impacts of drought in Yobe State. The frameworks include social, economic, environmental impact mitigation and an Integrated Drought Mitigation and Management Framework. The proposed frameworks were designed and have advocates a paradigm shift, using both proactive and reactive measures. A new drought definition was proposed based on the findings of the study. The definition states that drought is the shortage of rainfall or water that affects people’s livelihood and the environment both directly and indirectly.