By Nneka Nwogwugwu
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) is set to commence a nationwide survey and soil fertility mapping to boost crop production in the agricultural sector.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Sabo Nanono, at a workshop in Abuja on Tuesday, said that the programme is part of the Ministry’s strategy to ensure sustainable utilization of the nation’s land resources and a drive towards attaining food self-sufficiency in the country.
Speaking at the opening session of a workshop with the theme: ” Enhancing Food Security in Nigeria through the Production of Detailed Soil Survey and Soil Fertility Maps” the Minister represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr Ernest Umakhihe, while expressing delight about the project , recalled that the last time Nigeria carried out Soil inventorization was in the 1980s at a reconnaissance level using a scale of 1.650,000 which has been obsolete and inexpedient for the much desired rapid Agricultural transformation.
Umakhihe said, ” we have realized that over time that the country needs detailed soil survey and soil fertility maps that are necessary if we are to understand the best ways of evaluating the potential of our soils for agricultural production” .
He added that maps generated from such survey will be of immense benefits to farming communities, land use planners and also serve as a road map for Nigeria Soil Information System (NSIS).
He said the workshop is expected to focus on current Methodologies in digital soil mapping used in the production of detailed soil survey and Soil Fertility maps.
It is also expected to assist farmers so that they can obtain basic information on soil Fertility status that is required to inform the decisions on the type and rate of fertilizer application to be applied in addition to the method and time of application.
The Permanent Secretary also disclosed that the ministry will focus on the promotion of site -specific fertilizer application techniques and blending of crop -specific inorganic fertilizer materials which requires a detailed soil and soil fertility maps to actualize the goal.
Umakhihe highlighted the fragmented information and knowledge of the conditions and trends of Nigeria soils at present and explained the need for a wholistic approach that will guarantee a more accurate, up-to-date and spatially-reference soil information to support the nation’s Agricultural productivity enhancement programmes.
The Permanent Secretary informed that the four National Soil Water Laboratories in lbadan, Umudike, Kaduna and Abuja have been rehabilitated and upgraded to a modern Spectra laboratory Equipment (MIR) to the standard of the International Centre for Research in Agro Forestry ( ICRAF) to conduct soil tests and analyses from the National Soil Survey.
He appealed to the development partners and donor agencies including, FAO, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, IFDC, OCP Africa and USAID to provide technical assistance and support to facilitate the process of conducting the Nationwide Soil Survey for the country.
In his remarks, the representative of the Permanent Secretary, Director, Agricultural Land Climate Change , Mallam Shehu Bello, Mni, explained that the workshop is expected to deliberate on basic soil information required by farmers with particular reference to soil macro and micro nutrient levels including the best ways of managing them to improve crop yields.
Bello urged the participants to come up with clear, well-defined strategies for detailed soil survey and soil fertility mapping for the country. He stressed the need for the participants to also identify the necessary tools for assessing the potentials of Nigeria land resources for effective planning.
