By Monsurudeen Olowoopejo
The Federal Government has commenced moves to revitalize soil-testing laboratories across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory as part of measures to halt declining soil fertility and boost food production nationwide.
Aside from that, the government also plans to retrain Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) extension agents on soil-health diagnostics, with farmers expected to receive location-specific information on soil conditions, appropriate crops and fertiliser requirements.
The Director of Agricultural Land and Climate Change Management Services in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Olanipekun Oshadiya, disclosed this yesterday in Lagos during a two-day Southwest Regional Consultation Workshop on the Nigeria Agricultural Land and Soil Management Policy.
Oshadiya said modern laboratory equipment had already been provided in 15 states, while efforts were underway to extend the intervention nationwide.
He said the Federal Government’s initiative was designed to ensure that farmers no longer depend solely on generalised fertiliser recommendations, but have access to information based on the actual condition of their farms.
“We will revitalise soil-testing laboratories across all 36 states and the FCT. Additionally, we will retrain every Agricultural Development Programme agent on soil-health diagnostics,” he said.
He stressed that the initiative had become necessary as agricultural land across the country faced increasing pressure from unsustainable farming practices, soil erosion, nutrient depletion, desertification, flooding, population growth and climate change.
According to him, “a farmer without knowledge of soil is essentially farming without a clear vision.”
The workshop, which brought together representatives of federal and state governments, farmers’ organisations, research institutions, development partners, traditional leaders, private-sector operators and civil society groups, is aimed at securing sub-national input into the proposed policy.
Oshadiya said the policy would provide a framework for the sustainable use, protection, restoration and governance of agricultural land, while strengthening institutional coordination, financing, capacity building and stakeholder participation.
He disclosed that the Federal Government had also launched the Nigerian Farmers Soil Health Scheme (NFSHS), aimed at providing site- and crop-specific fertiliser recommendations, improving soil fertility and promoting climate-resilient agriculture.
He said the Nigeria Soil Information System (NiSIS) would provide farmers with digital soil advisories at the local government level, including information on soil pH, organic matter and fertiliser requirements.
The official added that the ministry had recorded progress through partnerships with development organisations and private-sector players, including GIZ, the Gates Foundation, World Bank’s ACReSAL Project, SAPZ, Soil Values, OCP Africa, AGRA and Sasakawa Africa Association.
He said the Federal Government had also integrated the farmers’ soil-health initiative into the ECOWAS Regional Fertiliser Hub and established a Coalition of the Willing as part of efforts to advance soil-health management.
Addressing the gathering, the Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Abisola Olusanya, said the survival of Nigeria’s food system depended on the ability of governments and farmers to protect the land on which agriculture was built.
Olusanya said Lagos, with its limited landmass and rapidly growing population, was under intense pressure from competing demands for housing, transportation, industry, infrastructure and agriculture.
“For Lagos, every hectare matters,” she said, stressing that the state must focus increasingly on productivity per hectare, soil health, efficient land utilisation, climate resilience and technology.
The commissioner said the state was pursuing a systems approach to food security through production, inputs, infrastructure, aggregation, logistics, processing, markets and human capital.
She said the state’s Produce for Lagos Programme was designed to strengthen the connection between agricultural production and the huge food demand in Lagos.
Olusanya urged stakeholders to ensure that the proposed policy did not remain a document but was translated into practical action on farms and in communities.
She called for clear responsibilities among the Federal, state and local governments, while urging research institutions, the private sector, extension workers and farmers to play defined roles in implementation.
The Southwest Regional Coordinator of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Femi Adeniyi, said the policy could significantly improve farmers’ yields and profitability if properly implemented.
He urged the Federal Government to provide incentives to farmers, while calling on state and local governments to facilitate access to land.
According to him, easier access to farmland could also contribute to reducing farmer-herder conflicts by providing farmers with secure areas for cultivation and improving their livelihoods.
The Executive of the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T) Ibadan, Prof. Gabriel Akin Oluwatosin, said the policy would help guide agricultural land use, preserve land for future generations and address declining soil fertility.
He urged states to domesticate the policy, saying this would translate into increased agricultural yields and reduced food insecurity.
A stakeholder, Mary Mabinuori, said the government must strengthen extension services so that farmers could be educated on importance of soil testing and identify crops that best suited to their farms.
She argued that simply supplying fertiliser and seedlings was not enough to improve agricultural productivity.
Also speaking, Lagos State Coordinator of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Banjo Olusegun Adeniyi, said the government was working towards achieving year-round crop production.
He stressed the need to make farmers understand the importance of soil information, while calling on state and local governments to make agricultural land available to farmers.
Adeniyi, meanwhile, urged governments to intensify public enlightenment on available agricultural land to encourage more people to participate in farming.
The lead consultant, Prof. Olumuyiwa James, described soil degradation as one of the major threats to food security in Nigeria.
He said the proposed policy was designed to protect farmers investments in the agricultural sector.