TITLE:
Mapping Land Use and the Impacts of Hydro-Agricultural Developments in the Kabaline Sub-Watershed, Lower Casamance (Senegal)
AUTHORS:
Hyacinthe Sambou, Fode Amata Drame, Cheikh Sadibou Faye
KEYWORDS:
Impacts, Hydro-Agricultural Developments, Cartography, Sub-Watershed, Lower Casamance
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Applied Sciences,
Vol.15 No.12,
December
8,
2025
ABSTRACT: In Lower Casamance, rice cultivation is developing in lowlands and valleys. It is mainly rain-fed. Rice plays a major role in dietary habits. It is a symbol in cultural activities. However, rice cultivation faces many constraints, such as rainfall deficits, but above all, soil salinization and acidification. This study focuses on analyzing changes in land use and the impacts caused by hydro-agricultural developments in the Kabaline sub-watershed. The methodology used is based on diachronic mapping through the processing of Landsat satellite images from 1984, 2006, and 2024, combined with field surveys. The results of satellite image processing showed a significant increase in the area of dense dry forests between 1984 and 2024. In contrast, a sharp decline in the area of wooded savannas and plateau fields was observed. Furthermore, the creation of change maps revealed that between 1984 and 2024, 768.59 hectares of wooded savannahs became dense dry forests. However, 101.76 hectares of plateau fields and 74.45 hectares of dense dry forests became wooded savannas between 1984 and 2024. Lowland fields increased in size between 2000 and 2024. This trend is the result of hydro-agricultural developments carried out in the sub-watershed since 1992. These results show that state authorities must encourage this type of development and involve local communities more closely in the management and conservation of these structures in order to intensify rice cultivation, which is the primary objective of these developments.