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| Prof. Olusola |
Olusola Omosofe Agbede is a professor of Soil Fertility/Crop Nutrition at Nasarawa State University, Keffi. In this interview with ADEMOLA ADEGBITE, he speaks on food insecurity and proffers solutions. Excerpt:
This year’s conference of Soil Science Society of Nigeria (SSSN) was tagged ‘Soil Science: Environmental Management and Food Security’ to address the problem of environmental pollution, degradation and to attain food security. Why the society’s attention on these?
Well, agriculture in general is subject to the degree of weather, I mean weather of several things such as government policies and human factors. Food production is also subject to weather, because you may have good weather this year and bad weather the following year. Another factor is management problem. Even when you have good weather and soil, cropping must be properly managed. When do you apply your fertiliser? What type and how much do you apply? All these management issues also contribute to the production of the crop.
The food insecurity is not a matter of one-year problem. It is a gradual or yearly process of advancement of agriculture which must be given adequate attention. It should be a continuous effort. It shouldn’t be that one government would come and place topmost priority on agriculture, while its successor would abandon such a programme. No. the efforts must be permanent and consistent to increase the crops with a view to meeting desired results. And I must tell you that we are productive in Nigeria because several countries that surrounded us feed on us - Niger Republic, Cameroon and many others because Nigerian agricultural product goes to them yearly. So, it is not only internal population that we feed, we also feed external population. So, that is why it seems we are not attaining food security. But our government needs to change its approach on agriculture, because every year we used to send communiqué to the government at all levels, I mean our findings at this society, both departmental and individual, which we believe if they adhere to, will help in no small measure and boost our economy more. Another factor is that some areas are not suitable for housing, but you see people building around there because there is no land use policy, which we have been telling the government almost for 10 years now. If there is a land use policy, it will stimulate and regulate the use of certain land for certain purposes. Even some are not suitable for farming, but you see people farming there to the detriment of other inhabitants. Borders of rivers should not be filled up with houses, should not be cultivated; it must be forested, because this is land use they are using to combat land erosion in foreign countries. But here, we do things haphazardly; we build near the roads, but things are getting better with the support of our society.
What is the advantage of soil science to the local farmers in Nigeria?
The study of soil, which is science, is relevant to farming, cropping generally all over the world because you can’t grow crop in the air.You can only grow crop in the soil and from this production of crop, animals benefit, human beings benefit and the study of soil itself enables us to know how to manage the soil, to be productive and preserved for future generations. So, soil science enables us to know the nature of soil, its management, maintenance and sustainability.
How do you handle language barrier and other challenges among these farmers?
There is a body responsible for passing information to farmers. They use local languages or employ people who can interpret whatever information we want to pass across to them.
You have lived in the North Central zone for many years, where some states claim to be the food basket of the nation. What are the soil challenges as regards food production in these states?
I’ve been in Makurdi, Benue State, Kogi State and now I’m in Nasarawa State. I want to say that people are enthusiastic, even the so-called elites, to produce food, to go into farming. I was a very good farmer when I was in Makurdi, because I was younger and I could deplore my energy to farming. I could move from one place to another then. At that time, I could do 20 bags of rice, yam and maize every year, and for more than eight years, I didn’t buy any of these in the market. Other lecturers did the same. So, there is enthusiasm from people to produce food, to go into farming and luckily enough, I will say the North Central is endowed climatically. The weather is good for agricultural production: the rain is not too much and the sun is there. So, they can produce a lot of food for the country. They have the land to produce, and that’s why they call them food basket of the nation. It is not only Benue, but also Nasarawa and Kogi states. They produce a lot of food – yams, maize.
What is the advantage of soil science to the local farmers in Nigeria?
The study of soil, which is science, is relevant to farming, cropping generally all over the world because you can’t grow crop in the air.You can only grow crop in the soil and from this production of crop, animals benefit, human beings benefit and the study of soil itself enables us to know how to manage the soil, to be productive and preserved for future generations. So, soil science enables us to know the nature of soil, its management, maintenance and sustainability.
How do you handle language barrier and other challenges among these farmers?
There is a body responsible for passing information to farmers. They use local languages or employ people who can interpret whatever information we want to pass across to them.
You have lived in the North Central zone for many years, where some states claim to be the food basket of the nation. What are the soil challenges as regards food production in these states?
I’ve been in Makurdi, Benue State, Kogi State and now I’m in Nasarawa State. I want to say that people are enthusiastic, even the so-called elites, to produce food, to go into farming. I was a very good farmer when I was in Makurdi, because I was younger and I could deplore my energy to farming. I could move from one place to another then. At that time, I could do 20 bags of rice, yam and maize every year, and for more than eight years, I didn’t buy any of these in the market. Other lecturers did the same. So, there is enthusiasm from people to produce food, to go into farming and luckily enough, I will say the North Central is endowed climatically. The weather is good for agricultural production: the rain is not too much and the sun is there. So, they can produce a lot of food for the country. They have the land to produce, and that’s why they call them food basket of the nation. It is not only Benue, but also Nasarawa and Kogi states. They produce a lot of food – yams, maize.
Source: Tribune
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