‘33% of Nigeria’s soil faces severe degradation’

The Federal Government has expressed concern over Nigeria’s worsening soil health crisis, revealing that at least 33 per cent of the nation’s soil is already degraded, posing a major threat to food production, climate resilience and environmental sustainability.

Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Aliyu Sabi, made this known yesterday  in Abuja during the 2025 World Soil Day celebration. He described healthy soil as the backbone of the country’s food sovereignty and a critical resource now under severe pressure.

He stressed the urgency of adopting scientific and sustainable land management practices to halt further deterioration.

Sabi noted that climate change, population growth and poor farming practices have compounded the crisis, making it imperative for Nigeria to adopt conservation agriculture, crop rotation, agroforestry and reduced tillage.

Highlighting government interventions, the minister pointed to the Nigeria Farmers’ Soil Health Scheme (NFSHS), launched in October as part of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for Food Security.

The programme provides crop- and location-specific fertiliser recommendations to curb excessive fertiliser use, reduce pollution and lower production costs while promoting organic inputs and regenerative practices.

A key component, he said, is the establishment of soil-testing laboratories in all 774 local government areas, to be operated by youth and women agripreneurs. Already, 12 laboratories equipped with modern diagnostic technologies have been set up across the six geopolitical zones.

“Soil supplies 95 per cent of our food and provides 15 of the 18 essential elements needed for plant growth. Yet our soils are currently facing unprecedented threats from degradation, erosion, and pollution.

“It is regrettable that 33 per cent of our soils are already degraded, and it may take up to 1,000 years to regenerate just 2–3 cm of soil,” the minister said.

“We are implementing the Nairobi Declaration on African Fertiliser and Soil Health endorsed by African Heads of State,” he added, acknowledging support from partners such as GIZ, Soil Values, AGRA, the World Bank’s ACReSAL Project, Sasakawa Africa, IITA, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

He also listed progress including the Soil Health Card, the Nigeria Soil Information System (NiSIS), regional capacity-building workshops, and the training of laboratory technicians in Oyo and Kano states. The NFSHS, he noted, has been fully integrated into the 2025 national budget.

In a goodwill message, President of the Nigerian Institute of Soil Science (NISS), Prof Abubakar Musa Kundiri, said rapid urbanisation has increased pressure on Nigeria’s soil resources through erosion, waste mismanagement, construction stress, and pollution.

Kundiri, who was represented by Vice President, Prof Olumuyiwa Jayeoba, said this year’s theme: “Healthy Soils, Healthy Cities,” underscores the essential role of soil health in urban sustainability.

Advertisement

Kundiri reiterated NISS’s commitment to promoting evidence-based soil management, ethical fertiliser use, urban agriculture, and enforcement of the Soil Science Profession Act. He urged Nigerians to view soil as “a living foundation for thriving cities,” not merely dirt beneath their feet.