A Professor of Soil Sciences and Chancellor of the Niger College of Education, Minna, Professor Muhammad Yakubu, has said that Nigeria lacks a national soil classification system to support technology transfer from one farmer to another.
He said this while delivering the 18th Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University Inaugural Lecture, Lapai, Niger State, labeled “Pedology and the Nigerian Farmer: The Nexus.”
Calling on the federal government to establish a team of soil scientists through the Nigeria Institute of Soil Sciences and the Nigerian Soil Science Society to create a grading system relevant to Nigeria’s needs, the don said there is a lack suitable soil scientists to conduct studies. on the suitability of soils for various crops and guiding farmers on the techniques they should adopt when planting crops to achieve maximum yield was also undermining agricultural activities in the country.
“Sustainable soil management is the livelihood of agriculture and pedological research at the foundation. There is a paucity of information on soil in Nigeria, along with a lack of detailed soil survey data to support agricultural development.
“The training of young scientists in the area of soil science is important. Of all the disciplines in agriculture, soil science is the least subscribed to by students. The expansion of new agricultural land, environmental studies and soil interpretations for various uses require the expertise of a pedologist.”
The don stressed the need for more soil research in Nigeria for the benefit of farmers, noting that it would help transform the agricultural sector and improve economic growth.
Professor Yakubu also recommended that land use in the country should be guided by laws and regulations to ensure sustainable use and proper land management.
He said that a well-conducted and detailed soil study would help farmers introduce innovations in the resource management system, regretting that despite its vastness in agricultural land, the state of Niger does not have a soil map.
Earlier, the institution’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Abu Kasim Adamu, said the conference was relevant and farmers in the state needed to be properly informed about current soil issues and soil science as they prepare for the upcoming season. sowing.
He called on young people to take up farming as an occupation and become active employers of labor rather than political bullies or social wrongdoers.
