The Federal Government has warned that Nigeria faces a deepening soil health crisis, with at least 33 per cent of the country’s soil already degraded, threatening food production, climate resilience, and environmental sustainability.

The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Dr Aliyu Abdullahi Sabi, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja during the 2025 World Soil Day celebration.

He described soil health as the backbone of Nigeria’s food sovereignty, stressing that urgent, science-driven action is required to prevent further decline.

“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.

He said the challenges posed by climate change, population growth, and poor farming practices make it imperative for Nigeria to adopt sustainable land management tools such as crop rotation, agroforestry, conservation agriculture, and reduced tillage.

The 2025 World Soil Day commemoration, he added, provides an opportunity to raise public awareness and advocate policies that safeguard long-term soil productivity.

The minister highlighted ongoing government efforts to reverse the trend, including the Nigeria Farmers’ Soil Health Scheme (NFSHS), launched in October with nearly 600 farmers and stakeholders in attendance. The scheme is part of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for Food Security.

According to the Minister, the programme offers crop- and location-specific fertiliser recommendations to curb indiscriminate fertiliser use, reduce pollution, and cut production costs. It also promotes organic amendments and regenerative agriculture practices to protect soil and water resources.

A major component of the initiative is the plan to establish soil-testing laboratories in all 774 local government areas, to be run by youth and women agripreneurs. Twelve laboratories, equipped with modern diagnostic tools, have already been installed across the six geopolitical zones.

“We are implementing the Nairobi Declaration on African Fertiliser and Soil Health endorsed by African Heads of State,” the minister said, noting strong collaboration with development partners including GIZ, Soil Values, AGRA, the World Bank’s ACReSAL Project, Sasakawa Africa, IITA, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

He listed additional strides such as the development of the Soil Health Card, the Nigeria Soil Information System (NiSIS), regional workshops, and training of laboratory technicians in Oyo and Kano states. The Federal Government has also mainstreamed the NFSHS into the 2025 budget.

In a goodwill message, President of the Nigerian Institute of Soil Science (NISS), Prof. Abubakar Musa Kundiri, represented by the Vice President of NISS, Prof Olumuyiwa James Jayeoba, said the theme “Healthy Soils, Healthy Cities” reflects a growing understanding that soil health is central not only to agriculture but also to urban sustainability.

“Rapid urbanisation has increased pressure on our soil resources through erosion, waste mismanagement, construction stress, and pollution.

“Yet beneath every city lies a living ecosystem whose capacity to filter water, support vegetation, stabilise infrastructure, and regulate climate remains vital to urban resilience”, he said.

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

The stakeholders at the event called for collective action from government, researchers, farmers, environmental managers, urban planners, and youth groups to protect and restore Nigeria’s soils.

World Soil Day is observed annually on December 5 to raise global awareness about the importance of healthy soils and advocate for sustainable soil management.

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