Nigeria intensifies efforts to improve soil health amidst low crop yield

, AbAmidst efforts to boost crop yield, the Nigerian government has launched Nigeria Farmers’ Soil Health Card Scheme (NFSHCS) aimed at promoting sustainable soil management, and the judicious use of fertilizers as well as crop specificity.

The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security Hon Sabi Abdullahi, while speaking at the 48th Annual Conference of Soil Society of Nigeria, stated that NFSHCS would achieve improved soil health and fertility, increased agricultural productivity and resilience, enhanced food security and nutrition, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration, improved livelihoods and income for small-scale farmers, and better adaptation and mitigation of climate change.

He lamented that soil has become the world’s most vulnerable resource as a result of climate change and land degradation, saying the twin problem has affected the ecosystem services including food security, water quality and availability, human health, and livelihood of many.

To address these challenges, the minister advocated for climate-smart practices such as conservation tillage and cover cropping, agroforestry and reforestation, the cultivation of climate-resilient crops and livestock, integrated pest management and nutrient management, and soil testing and analysis.

He maintained that the government is committed to ensuring the nation’s food and nutrition security, and hence the need to prioritize soil health and climate-smart agriculture, allocate resources to research and development, support policy and institutional frameworks, encourage investment from the private sector, and empower smallholder farmers.

He also emphasized the need for strong collaboration and synergy that supports a success of this initiative is essential at this juncture., saying “Together, we have the power to create a resilient food security system that benefits everyone.”

Abdullahi stated that Soil health and climate-smart agriculture are pivotal to the establishment of a resilient food security system as soil health is the foundation of sustainable agriculture, and climate-smart agriculture is essential for adapting to climate change.