Prof. James Adediran of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun, has called on the government to pay more attention to soil research to increase food security.
Adediran, a Professor of Soil Fertility and Organic Agriculture, made the call when he delivered the 362nd Inaugural Lecture of the University at the Oduduwa Hall, Ile-Ife, on Tuesday.
The lecture is entitled, “The Natural Treasures Inherent in Soil: Explore and Manage It for Agricultural Production, Sustenance of Life and Survival of Mankind”.
He also urged all tiers of government to promote Soil Testing Programme and provide subsidy for soil testing to Nigerian farmers to enhance the resource base of the nation and its environment.
The don said recycling organic wastes to fertilizers and technologies on Integrated Soil Fertility Management involving alternative utilisation of resource materials should be encouraged by the government among Nigerian farmers.
According to him, the thrust of the lecture is to draw attention to soil management techniques which majority of Nigerian farmers must embrace if the nation’s soil resources are to be exploited in a sustainable manner to ensure food security.
He noted that the soil has treasures and there is need to explore it; manage it for agricultural production for sustenance of the nation.
He, however, highlighted the importance of soil and its elements which made up life with certain treasures that made it sustainable to mankind.
“Whatever we do, we should take care not to damage soil; we need to take care of soil, automatically we are taking care of ourselves, this generation and next ones to come.
“When we harvest our crops, we took some nutrients away; we ate some of these nutrients, not bordered going back to this soil until death, but what we consume, we passed them out to the soil,” Adediran stated.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Adediran was a former Executive Director, Institute of Agricultural Research & Training(IAR&T), Moor Plantation, Ibadan, Oyo State.
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