The Nation Newspaper

Tag: soil

  • ‘33% of Nigeria’s soil faces severe degradation’

    ‘33% of Nigeria’s soil faces severe degradation’

    The Federal Government has expressed concern over Nigeria’s worsening soil health crisis, revealing that at least 33 per cent of the nation’s soil is already degraded, posing a major threat to food production, climate resilience and environmental sustainability.

    Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Aliyu Sabi, made this known yesterday  in Abuja during the 2025 World Soil Day celebration. He described healthy soil as the backbone of the country’s food sovereignty and a critical resource now under severe pressure.

    He stressed the urgency of adopting scientific and sustainable land management practices to halt further deterioration.

    Sabi noted that climate change, population growth and poor farming practices have compounded the crisis, making it imperative for Nigeria to adopt conservation agriculture, crop rotation, agroforestry and reduced tillage.

    Highlighting government interventions, the minister pointed to the Nigeria Farmers’ Soil Health Scheme (NFSHS), launched in October as part of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for Food Security.

    The programme provides crop- and location-specific fertiliser recommendations to curb excessive fertiliser use, reduce pollution and lower production costs while promoting organic inputs and regenerative practices.

    Read Also: New soil health scheme to boost crop yields

    A key component, he said, is the establishment of soil-testing laboratories in all 774 local government areas, to be operated by youth and women agripreneurs. Already, 12 laboratories equipped with modern diagnostic technologies have been set up across the six geopolitical zones.

    “Soil supplies 95 per cent of our food and provides 15 of the 18 essential elements needed for plant growth. Yet our soils are currently facing unprecedented threats from degradation, erosion, and pollution.

    “It is regrettable that 33 per cent of our soils are already degraded, and it may take up to 1,000 years to regenerate just 2–3 cm of soil,” the minister said.

    “We are implementing the Nairobi Declaration on African Fertiliser and Soil Health endorsed by African Heads of State,” he added, acknowledging support from partners such as GIZ, Soil Values, AGRA, the World Bank’s ACReSAL Project, Sasakawa Africa, IITA, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

    He also listed progress including the Soil Health Card, the Nigeria Soil Information System (NiSIS), regional capacity-building workshops, and the training of laboratory technicians in Oyo and Kano states. The NFSHS, he noted, has been fully integrated into the 2025 national budget.

    In a goodwill message, President of the Nigerian Institute of Soil Science (NISS), Prof Abubakar Musa Kundiri, said rapid urbanisation has increased pressure on Nigeria’s soil resources through erosion, waste mismanagement, construction stress, and pollution.

    Kundiri, who was represented by Vice President, Prof Olumuyiwa Jayeoba, said this year’s theme: “Healthy Soils, Healthy Cities,” underscores the essential role of soil health in urban sustainability.

    Kundiri reiterated NISS’s commitment to promoting evidence-based soil management, ethical fertiliser use, urban agriculture, and enforcement of the Soil Science Profession Act. He urged Nigerians to view soil as “a living foundation for thriving cities,” not merely dirt beneath their feet.

  • Farming without soil

    Farmers are growing crops without soil. They are on a national campaign to promote this type of agriculture, DANIEL ESSIET writes.

    In a room in Anifowoshe, Ikeja, Lagos, kale, romaine, lettuce, oregano, thyme, arugula  and basil  are grown in trays under energy bulbs.

    The seeds are cultivated without soil. You are greeted by the pleasant sight of rows of young maize leaves growing out of pipes filled with water and saw dust –no soil.

    Though they are growing in a protected environment, the leaves are thick, lush green, and free of dust particles, giving them a clean and healthy look.

    BIC Farms Concept Chief Executive, Pastor Debo Onafowora, believes hydroponics – growing plants without soil – is the best way to go.

    Hydroponics, he explained, involves growing plants without soil.

    An Associate Pastor with Living Faith Church (aka Winners’ Chapel), Ota in Ogun State, Onafowora grows crops hydroponically. The most common are tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and maize. The seeds are placed  in trays and watered several times daily with a nutrient solution.

    Onafowora added that hydroponics is better than conventional farming.

    He emphasised that a plant only need  some nutrients, water, and sunlight to grow.

    He listed the advanges of hydroponics as high quality products, less space, and consumes fewer resources.

    He harvests his vegetables just after 25 days, half the time needed with regular planting.

    Besides farming, he teaches agriculturists how to apply the technology. He helps his customers to set up farms and provides consultation and training.

    A small  scale  vegetable    hydroponic farm requires an investment of  N500,000. This will give a 10 ft X 20ft greenhouse hydroponics farm with hydroponics with systems for growing 250kilogrammes(KG) of tomatoes  or 350 kg of cucumber.

    One can make  net profits of  40 to N50,000 monthly. He has established over 100 farms across the country.

    By growing cattle fodder off the fields, he said hydroponics could offer a solution to the frequent violent clashes between farmers and herdsmen over arable farmland that is disappearing due to desertification.

    Onafowora advocated the use of hydroponic fodder as the best option for livestock feed, adding that this would help reduce the cost of the product by over 20 per cent.

    He said the fodder could be grown within nine days and that it saves about 95 per cent of land.

    Onafowora noted that hydroponics fodder production technology is a climate-controlled crop growing system, which guaranteed daily production of highly nutritious livestock feeds.

    “It is grown from grains. We convert one kilogramme of grain to 5kg of fodder within nine days. Normally, on the soil, it will take up to 90 days.

    “What you need is 100 hectares of land to grow. In terms of fodder quantity, we will do that on one hectare of land and we are doing that saving about 90 per cent of water,” he added.

    He is partnering Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State.

    Universities of Lagos, Ibadan, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Lead City University have also picked the technology.

    To boost food production, Samson Ogbole   is employing   aeroponics- a process of growing plants in the air.

    He became involved in soilless farming in 2014. Two years later, he founded PS Nutraceuticals, a firm that applies agricultural technologies to boost  food production.

    The firm Nutracueuticals deploys various technologies, including hydroponics (plants in water), aquaponics (use of waste produce of fishes to feed plants) and aeroponics (plants grown in air) to grow crops all year round.

    To him, aeroponics is a better alternative for growing crops indoors.

    Experts say aeroponics is similar to hydroponics and that it uses water. The roots are suspended in a dark chamber and sprayed with nutrient-rich solution.

    To Fresh Direct Produce and Agro-Allied Services CEO/founder Angel Adelaja, urban agriculture has brought a new hope. She uses old shipping containers for farming.

    A self-taught hydroponics expert, Adelaja appears to be making  headway. The entrepreneur, who has a background in biostatistics and epidemiology, learnt hydroponics online.

    She created a stackable container farm in Abuja, which is essentially an aggregation of vertical farming and hydroponics.

    She is campaigning for the transformation of old shipping containers into miniature hydroponic farms.

    The containers are retrofitted with growing platforms where beds of lettuce are grown with their roots in water.

    Adelaja and her team grow those vegetables using only nutrient, water and LED light.

    The method makes it possible to grow crops all year round.

    Adelaja encourages farmers to use abandoned shipping containers in their farms.

    Her company, Fresh Direct, has several divisions one of which produces stackable containers.

    She is passionate about creating awareness among other farmers.

  • Varsities discuss soil fertility

    A roundtable to create awareness for the Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) project has ended in Accra.

    It was organised by the University of Alicante in Spain, in collaboration with five West African universities — , the Federal University of Technology, Nigeria, the University of Ghana, the University of The Gambia, the University of Dschang in Cameroun and the Njala University in Sierra Leone.

    The Coordinator for the discussion, Ms Ester Boldrini, explained that the ISFM system was a set of agricultural practices adapted to local conditions to maximise the efficiency of nutrient and water use to improve productivity.

    According to her, capacity building in the partner universities was very important and expressed the hope that the outcome of the discussion would impact positively on students from the various universities.

    On the challenges that the implementation of the ISFM en-countered in participating countries, a lecturer of the Federal University of Technology in Nigeria, Prof. Matthew Bajon Ogun, noted that the level of training of extension officers on the ISFM was inadequate, thereby making it difficult for farmers to adopt the programme.

    He, therefore, entreated the governments of participating countries to make incentives available for risk absorption in case the ISFM project failed, so that “farmers will have something to fall back on”.

    Ogun observed that the centres of excellence which would be established would help address issues faced by farmers and researchers who engaged in the ISFM project.

    The forum attracted researchers, lecturers, Soil Science students, policy makers and representatives of the various universities.

    The ISFM project, which spans three years, is aimed at building the capacities of the universities in the ISFM project. It involves training courses for stakeholders and the establishment of centres of excellence in the participating universities.

    It also includes conferences to strengthen cooperation between academia and industry and the establishment of academic and industry funds.

    The project is being sponsored by the African, Caribbean and Pacific/European Union (ACP-EU) cooperation programme in higher education.

  • ‘Why soil must be preserved’

    ‘Why soil must be preserved’

    Is soil important to humanity? Yes, says an expert, Dr Peter Ezeaku, at a week-long lecture organised by the Department of Soil Science of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). OLADELE OGE (Mass Communication) reports.

    Does soil preservation have any effect on continuation of human existence? Yes, it has, says Dr Peter Ezeaku, Head of Department (HOD), Soil Science, in Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). He said people must honour the soil in whatever they do and remember it as the origin of humanity.

    Humans, he said, must preserve the purity of soil like they preserve their bodies. The HOD spoke at an event organised by the department to mark the “World Soil Day”.

    The department’s staff and students graced the event held in Old Hall to mark the day.

    Declaring the event open, the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Benjamin Ozumba, represented by the Dean of Faculty of Agriculture, Prof Ngozi Nnam, said the management was delighted to be part of the event. The VC said there was need to raise awareness on soil conservation and promote sustainability of good soil,  describing it as the first natural resource.

    He said: “We must ensure soil is conserved and preserved by using the best available scientific information. This is the first natural resources we have as humans. It is from the soil we get other things we need, such as food. Therefore, we must build on its sustainability and use it for the development of our world.”

    The VC added that the role of agriculture could not be underestimated in nation-building and in food production. He said soil remained the basis for agricultural production, foundation of crops, fuel and fibre production.

    Ozumba urged the department to continue to train manpower in sustainability and management of soil and land resources, saying it would optimise human productivity and economy development through services, such as biodiversity, heritage conservation, environmental protection and water management.

    In recognition of the importance of soil, Ezeaku said the International Union of Soil Science (IUSS), in 2002, passed a resolution proposing every December to discuss soil conservation. He said the department also used the occasion to mark the birthday and honour the Thailand’s King, Bhuimbol Aduladej, for his efforts in promoting soil science, conservation and sustainability.

    The HOD urged Nigerians to take advantage of day to promote the importance of soil to in the health, wellbeing and socio-economic growth of the country. He said: “People must be sensitised to treat our country’s soil with the care it deserves to sustain our lives and livelihood.”

    Prof Charles Azadu, a contributor, said: “If the soil is not friendly to humanity, there is nothing that can survive on earth, not even the agriculture that is paramount to every one of us, would flourish.” He urged agriculturists to be proud of themselves and their profession.

    At an interactive session, Dennis Abugu, a 400-Level Soil Science student, said he had never felt the impact of soil until he attended the event. He said the programme opened his eyes to advantages of soil science as his course of study.

    Another student, Esther Nnaji, 500-Level Soil Science, said the lecture brought staff and students of the department to the knowledge of soil conservation. She urged the participants to share the knowledge gain from the lecture with the public.

  • Don stresses need for soil preservation

    A lecturer in the Dept of Crop and Soil Sciences, College of Agriculture, Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State, Prof . Olusola Omosofe Agbede, has  said  Nigeria could face food crisis if urgent action is not taken to preserve the soil that has been overstretched.

    Speaking during a public lecture titled: Assessment, development and conservation of soil fertility key to national food security, at the university, he said man was created from the soil and from that creation depended on soil for prosperity and survival, that any departure from this divine arrangement usually incurs unpleasant consequences.

    According to him, through man’s carelessness and misuse of soil resources over time, soil productivity has declined. He warned that if soil is not adequately managed, many countries, including Nigeria could face food crisis.

    While acknowledging that the government is making efforts at upgrading soil fertility assessment development and conservation to increase food production, Agbede advised that in order not to be caught up in this crisis, the government should arrest the problem early.