The environmental change manifested in terms of drought and desertification in the Lake Chad basin area is
characterised by the drastically reduction in the volume of the water in the basin, with serious consequences both
at the local and global environment. This therefore demands an immediate attention as such change can no
longer sustain the livelihood of the people of the area. A questionnaire was administered to collect primary data
on the socio-economic activities and drought coping strategies of the people living in the locations of the Lake
Chad basin (the Baga in the north of the basin and Southern Chad project around Marte in the south of the basin).
Five communities were randomly selected from the 21 in Baga and another 5 from the 24 in Marte. The
populations of these communities were between 2000 and 2500. Thus a sample size of about 2.5 %, (that is 500
people) was taken. The strategies with which local communities are responding to the increasingly unfavourable
environment of the basin were evaluated. These were done with a view to providing an understanding of the
dynamics of land and water uses in the area.