Mr Osohadiya Olanipekun, Director of Agricultural Land and Climate Change Management Science, has called for greater attention to soil health to address agricultural challenges and achieve sustainable food security in the country.
He also described healthy soil as the foundation of Nigeria’s food system and a panacea to declining agricultural outputs.
Olanipekun stated this at the inauguration of a two-day validation exercise of the Nigerian Agricultural Land and Soil Management Policy on Monday in Gombe.
The exercise was organised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for the North-East zone.
Olanipekun said that agricultural lands in the country were under increasing pressure from unsustainable farming practices, soil erosion, nutrient depletion, desertification, flooding and climate change.
Represented by Mrs Irene Maduabibi, an Assistant Director in the agency, Olanipekun said the challenges posed serious threats to food production and livelihoods, thus making urgent action on soil health necessary.
“Soil is the foundation of our food system, yet significant portions of Nigeria’s soils have already been degraded,” he said.
Olanipekun said the Federal Government had introduced the Nigerian Farmers Soil Health Scheme (NFSHS), launched in October 2025, to address low crop yields, rising farming costs, soil degradation, fertiliser waste and pollution.
The scheme, he said, also aimed at contributing to food sovereignty and reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imports.
Olanipekun said the ministry had developed the Nigerian Soil Information System, integrated the NFSHS into the ECOWAS Regional Fertiliser Hub, and partnered with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on GP Soil Matters in Nigeria.
He said the government had also provided modern laboratory equipment in 15 states to strengthen soil testing and management.
Also speaking, Prof. Olumuyiwa Jeyeoba, Lead Consultant on the Nigerian Agricultural Land and Soil Management Policy, said the validation exercise was designed to adopt a bottom-up approach to policy development.
He said the approach would include the experiences and concerns of farmers and other stakeholders in the final document, thereby creating a sense of ownership to make implementation easier.
Jeyeoba described soil as the foundation of food security, noting that improved crop varieties could not deliver their full potential when cultivated on degraded soils.
He said combining improved seeds with proper soil management would increase agricultural productivity and strengthen food security.
Prof. Jibrin Mohammed, President of the Soil Science Society of Nigeria, said stakeholder consultation was necessary to develop a harmonised framework for managing Nigeria’s agricultural land and soil resources.
Mohammed said Nigeria’s soil resources were being threatened by various activities and called for a coordinated policy to guide government agencies, farmers, organisations and other land users in ensuring the sustainable use of agricultural land.
The validation exercise was attended by farmers, government officials, researchers, development partners and others.
It is designed to gather inputs to ensure that the draft policy reflects the realities of farmers and land users in the region.
