Expert urges action on soil health for food security

A soil scientist, Dr Ibrahim Kawu, has called for proactive measures to address soil challenges that threaten agricultural productivity and food security in the country.

Kawu, who is the Head of the Department of Soil Science at the Federal University of Kashere, Gombe State, made this appeal in an interview in Gombe state on Friday.

He stated that both Gombe state and Nigeria were facing a soil health crisis due to factors such as erosion, climate change, and over-farming.

He noted that the increasing decline in soil health, was reducing crop productivity, compromising food security, and threatening the livelihoods of rural communities.

Kawu stressed the need for stakeholders to prioritise soil health as a means of boosting food security, emphasising that healthy soil is the foundation of sustainable agriculture.

He added that declining soil fertility had caused huge losses for farmers, as their farmlands were no longer producing the expected yields per hectare.

“It is crucial to tackle soil degradation across the state and the country by reducing reliance on chemical fertilisers and promoting organic alternatives.

“This will help preserve soil fertility and health, particularly as soils serve as the foundation of food production and are increasingly stressed by climate change and human activities”.

Kawu described soil fertility as a major issue in agriculture, warning that its depletion remained one of the key challenges affecting food security programmes.

He urged farmers to adopt integrated fertiliser use and management to sustain crop production, increase yields, and improve their income.

“Combining organic and inorganic fertilisers is essential, as each complements the weaknesses of the other, ultimately improving soil productivity,” he explained.

Kawu also cautioned farmers against bush burning, stressing that deforestation and indiscriminate burning were major causes of soil degradation.

He further advised farmers using organic fertilisers from dump sites to sort the waste carefully, removing microplastics that could pollute the soil before applying the manure to their farms.

He called on governments at all levels to convene regular stakeholder meetings to discuss strategies for improving soil health, which is crucial for enhancing food security and ensuring food availability.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, Nigeria is one of the countries experiencing a rapid decline in soil fertility.

Nigeria’s nutrient loss averaged 24 kg per hectare annually in 1990, rising to 48 kg per hectare by 2000, equivalent to 100 kg of fertiliser per hectare each year.

NAN / Foluke Ibitomi