Our Correspondent | Agriculture
The Federal Government has warned that 33 per cent of Nigeria’s soil is now severely degraded, a crisis officials say threatens national food production, climate resilience and long-term environmental sustainability.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Aliyu Sabi, raised the concern in Abuja during the 2025 World Soil Day commemoration, describing soil health as the backbone of Nigeria’s food sovereignty and a critical natural resource under escalating stress.
Sabi said worsening degradation has been accelerated by climate change, rapid population growth, erosion, pollution and unsustainable farming practices, underscoring the urgent need for strict adoption of scientific land management systems such as conservation agriculture, crop rotation, agroforestry and reduced tillage.
He highlighted the government’s ongoing intervention through the Nigeria Farmers’ Soil Health Scheme (NFSHS), launched in October under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. The programme offers location- and crop-specific fertiliser recommendations to curb excessive fertiliser use, minimise pollution, lower production costs and encourage regenerative agricultural practices.
A major component of the scheme, the minister noted, is the establishment of soil-testing laboratories in all 774 local government areas, to be operated by youth and women agripreneurs. So far, 12 modern laboratories have been completed across the six geopolitical zones.
“Soil supplies 95 per cent of our food and provides 15 of the 18 essential elements for plant growth. Yet our soils are facing unprecedented threats from degradation, erosion and pollution,” Sabi said. “It is regrettable that one-third of our soils are already degraded, and it may take up to 1,000 years to regenerate just 2–3 cm of soil.”
He reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the Nairobi Declaration on African Fertiliser and Soil Health, with support from partners including GIZ, Soil Values, AGRA, the World Bank’s ACReSAL Project, Sasakawa Africa, IITA and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Other achievements include the rollout of the Soil Health Card, the development of the Nigeria Soil Information System (NiSIS), nationwide capacity-building programmes and ongoing training for laboratory technicians in Oyo and Kano states. The NFSHS has also been integrated into the 2025 national budget.
In a goodwill message, President of the Nigerian Institute of Soil Science (NISS), Prof Abubakar Musa Kundiri, warned that rapid urbanisation is exerting additional pressure on soil resources through erosion, waste mismanagement and construction-related degradation.
Represented by Prof Olumuyiwa Jayeoba, Kundiri said this year’s theme, “Healthy Soils, Healthy Cities,” reflects the vital link between soil health and sustainable urban development. He stressed the need for evidence-based soil management, ethical fertiliser practices and robust enforcement of the Soil Science Profession Act.