AN ASSESSMENT OF DROUGHT IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA BETWEEN 2000 -2014

The study seeks to integrate people¿s perceptions, precipitation data and satellite remote sensing in monitoring drought in Kaduna state. Kaduna state is located within the Guinea Savannah of the African Continent. As a result, it is susceptible to desertification and the risks of drought abound. This study examined the three most important ways of monitoring drought in any locality: people¿s perception, precipitation data and satellite remote sensing. Simple statistical tables were used to present and analyse the data. Equally, Microsoft Office Excel, Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS), and Idrisi software were used to analyse the data. The study revealed that there have been episodes of drought in Kaduna state within the period under review. The study also revealed that there is a positive relationship (0.72) between rainfall and vegetation vigour/biomas in the state. Similarly, vegetation condition index (VCI) revealed a value 10.2% indicating a severe drought in the state. Therefore, the study concluded that both rainfall and vegetation vigour/biomas are generally decreasing; with a strong positive correlation value of 0.71 (71%).