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From Felix Ikem, Nsukka
The Nigeria Institute of Soil Science (NISS), South East Zone, has trained farmers and Extension Agents in the zone on the use of Soil Testing Kits for efficient fertilizer management aimed at achieving food security in Nigeria
Prof Charles Asadu, the South East NISS Zonal Coordinator while flagging off the training workshop on Thursday in Nsukka, said that the Institute is a regulating body adding that the training was targeted at educating the farmers and extension agents on best soil management through the use of soil testing kits.
According to him, “NISS is an agency under the federal ministry of agriculture and rural development, with the mandate of regulating the profession of soil science in Nigeria as well as providing a scientific basis for enhancing and sustaining productivity of soil resources with minimal environmental degradation especially with regards to food production in the country.
“The objective of this training is to enable you know soil needs before planting, know whether to lime, whether to apply fertilizer or not, increase food production as well as ensure food and nutrition security in Nigeria and also achieve set goals of NISS,” he said.
Asadu, a professor of soil science
whose office is domiciled at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) urged farmers and other land users in South East to always consult their office for professional advice.
Prof Victor Chude, the NISS Registrar in his message to the participants at the workshop said that the Soil test kit is an innovation and improved field test kit, invented for soil analysis as a basis for site specific fertilizer recommendation towards achieving food security.
“The test kit contains apparatus that can be used jointly to analyze soil and provide results to farmers.
“Optimum soil fertilizer is very vital for maximum production of crops especially in farms where continues cropping is the major practice as is very commonly seen in Nigerian farms.
“Fertilizer application without proper soil testing could lead to plant nutrient imbalance on plants, pollution of ground water, eutrophication of the surface water bodies and economic losses to the farmers,” he said.
The Registrar reminded the farmers and extension agents that they should organise a step down training for the already identified farmers in their states.
The participants who were drowned from the five states in South East, representing different farmers organisation and are expected to go back to their various base and train others were trained on the following topics;
know your soil and its functions, Soil Management and conservation for effective fertilizer, Fertilizer – soil relationships, Mineral fertilizer recommendations for common crops grown in the southeast and crop mixtures, Soil testing and its importance, and Demonstration on the Use soil testing kits by Extension Agents guided by Prof Asadu.
Five units of the soil test kits each was distributed to participants for onward distribution to their members.
One of the participant, Prof Damian Azawaram, from Abia State in an interview with Daily Sun thanks NISS for organizing the training workshop for them stating that the soil testing kits will enhance their farming activities in a more positive and productive ways.
