Minister Advocates Climate-smart Practices To Enhance Soil Health

The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sabi Abdullahi has emphasised the crucial role of climate-smart agricultural practices as the foundation for establishing a good soil health and resilient food security system.

At the 48th Annual Conference of the Soil Science Society of Nigeria (SSSN) held in Abuja yesterday, the minister stated that soil has become the world’s most vulnerable resource due to climate change and land degradation which have left  profound consequences on ecosystem services, including food security, water quality and availability and human health.

To address these challenges, he advocated for the adoption of inclusive climate-smart practices such as conservation tillage, cover cropping, agroforestry, reforestation, cultivating climate-resilient crops and livestock, integrated pest and nutrient management, and soil testing and analysis as solutions to soil health issues.

One of the key federal government initiatives as highlighted by the minister was the Nigeria Farmers’ Soil Health Card Scheme (NFSHCS), which aimed to promote sustainable soil management and the judicious use of fertilisers specific to location and crop type.

This scheme, according to him, includes the establishment of soil testing laboratories at the state and local government levels.

He said, “The NFSHCS aims to 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 incomes for small-scale farmers, and better adaptation and mitigation of climate change.

“The government is committed to ensuring the nation’s food and nutrition security, it is crucial to prioritise soil health and climate-smart agriculture, allocate resources to research and development, support policy and institutional frameworks, encourage private sector investment, and empower smallholder farmers.”

The minister also stressed the importance of collaboration and synergy in ensuring the success of these initiatives.