Change detection due to ISPAAD Programme using geospatial techniques: A case study of Dinogeng Agricultural Extension Area of Kgatleng District, Botswan

Dinogeng Agricultural Extension Area (DAEA), located in the south eastern part of Botswana has witnessed tremendous land use changes due to the Integrated Support Programme for Arable Agriculture Development (ISPAAD). For over a decade, crop cultivation has been relatively small both in size and population. But today, Dinogeng is one of the fastest growing agricultural areas. Therefore, it is paramount to detect the nature and magnitude of land use changes for planning purpose. Remotely Sensed data from Landsat 5 and Landsat 8 were utilized for the purpose of Land Use Land Cover (LULC) change detection. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) were used to produce LULC maps for 2006 and 2020 for assessing the severity of land degradation.  In a 14-year span (2006-2020), LULC of DAEA changed markedly. Cultivated land and bare areas increased by 19.4 and 18.3 % whereas shrub land and forest areas decreased by 36.9 and 0.7 %, respectively. Supervised classification algorithms and stratified random sampling design were adopted for the accuracy assessment. The classification process produced good results with overall accuracies of 93% and 94% for the 2006 and 2020 maps, respectively. The findings could be useful to guide the development of functional land use plan for DAEA.