Effect of External Geomorphic Process on Ushongo Hills and its Environs, Ushongo Local Government Area of Benue State

The study assessed the effect of external geomorphic processes on Ushongo hills and its environs, Benue state Nigeria.Data were collected through field observation, interaction with land users and direct field measurement.Data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques.Descriptive statistics such as tables, average, frequencies and percentages were adopted while influential statistics include standard deviation and coefficient of variation were adopted, while descriptive statistic was used to analyze data on geomorphic variables, inferential statistic was used to investigate the effects of geomorphic processes on agricultural activities.A multi-stage sampling technique was adopted where stratified sampling techniques were used to stratify north, south and west side of the study area.Purposive sampling was used to select three gullies, three sites each of landslide and rockfall and also to select 30 persons who engage in farming within the study area.The study revealed that, three major external geomorphic processes currently operate on Ushongo hills, namely; mass movement (rock fall and landslides), weathering and gully erosion.Landslide inhibits farming activities in the portion of land it covers.The study also found that gully erosion has a greater impact on agriculture which is a prominent human activity around the area with the gullies eroding farm lands in the area.The study recommends that contour ridging should be practiced by farmers in the area.This method slows down the rate of soil loss and could be an effective methods of control erosion along the hill slopes of Ushongo hills and its environs.