Download OLADIPO PRESENTATION SOIL - Soil Science Society of Nigeria

SSSN ANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE, LAFIA MARCH 12 2013
SOIL DEGRADATION, FOOD SECURITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE
EMMANUEL OLADIPO
DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA
Keynote Address
A nation that destroys its soils destroys
itself (Franklin Roosevelt, 32nd
President of the Unites States)
Soil is part of the natural environment, which sustains agriculture and food
production. It is the interface between earth, air and water and hosts most of the
biosphere, and
provides ecosystem services critical for life:
acts as a water filter and a growing medium;
provides habitat for billions of organisms, contributing to biodiversity; and
supplies most of the antibiotics used to fight diseases.
Humans use soil as a holding facility for solid waste, filter for wastewater, and
foundation for our cities and towns.
Interaction between the various components of the planet’s
environmental/climate system (IPCC, 2007)
Interaction between the various components of the planet’s environmental system (IPCC, 2007)
Provision of Ecosystems Services by Soils
Source: Rojas, R. V. (2012): How to Achieve a “Land
Degradation Neutral World”
Source: Rojas, R. V. (2012): How to Achieve a “Land
Degradation Neutral World”
SSSN ANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE, LAFIA MARCH 12 2013
Some Basic Facts – Did You Know:
•there are more living individual organisms in a tablespoon
of soil than there are people on the earth?
•almost all of the antibiotics we take to help us fight
infections were obtained from soil microorganisms?
•agriculture is the only essential industry on earth?
•over 90% of the world’s food comes from soil?
•soil is a nonrenewable natural resource?
•the best china dishes are made from soil?
•about 70% of the weight of a text book or glossy paged
magazine is soil?
•putting clay on your face in the form of a "mud mask" is
done to cleanse the pores in the skin?
SSSN ANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE, LAFIA MARCH 12 2013
Imperative for Soil Maintenance:
 Soils, as the fundamental foundation of our food security, global
economy and environmental quality, are, generally speaking, fragile.
 Soil quality (the capacity of a soil to function within land use and
ecosystem boundaries, to sustain biological productivity maintain
environmental quality and promote plant, animal and human health)
is largely governed by soil organic matter content – a dynamic pool
that responds effectively to changes in soil management,
 When used inappropriately, agricultural practices can cause serious
soil losses.
 Excessive tillage, for example, often leads to unintended
consequences of water, wind and tillage erosion.
 If the degradation of agricultural soils continues unchecked we may
face serious problems in feeding a growing population.
SSSN ANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE, LAFIA MARCH 12 2013
Imperative for Soil Maintenance:
 With our rapidly expanding population and the pressure on the
finite amount of land available for agricultural production, the
protection of our soils is not only necessary, but also imperative for
our survival and those of our natural resources.
 Maintaining soil quality and soil health can reduce problems of land
degradation, decreasing soil fertility and rapidly declining
production levels that are occurring in many parts of Nigeria with
inappropriate farming practices.
 As Prof. Rattan Lal often emphasized "Soil, and specifically sound
soil management, is essential in our continued quest to increase the
production of food, feed, fiber, and fuel while maintaining and
improving the environment, and mitigating the effects of climate
change. Being the essence of all terrestrial life and ecosystem services,
we cannot take the soils for granted. Soil is the basis of survival for
present and future generations."
SSSN ANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE, LAFIA MARCH 12 2013







Are we maintaining the soil?
Acknowledged for its key role in ensuring food security and
ecosystems services. Yet fragile resource because of its nature (nonrenewable on human time frame).
Soil resources are limited and need to be preserved for feeding the
growing population of the world by 2050.
The sad story is that the limited resource is under increasing
pressure.
Human-induced soil degradation is now a global problem, but
estimates remain largely unreliable.
Current Facts and Statistics indicate that land degradation is serious
in Africa (available at www.thenigerianvoice.com/.../currentdynamics-of-land-degr. :
77 % of Africa is affected by erosion, with serious erosion areas noted
for Nigeria among others
Nearly 90 % of rangelands and 80 % of farmlands in the area of West
African Sahel, Sudan, northeast Ethiopia are seriously affected by
land degradation – including soil erosion, deforestation and several
forms of land degradation.
SSSN ANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE, LAFIA MARCH 12 2013
Are we maintaining the soil?
 More than 65 % of Africa's population is affected by the consequences of
land degradation.
 Nearly 3.3 % of agricultural GDP in Sub-Saharan Africa is lost annual
because of soil and nutrient loss.
 Recent estimates by the UNCCD (2011) indicates that:
 About 24 billion tons of fertile soil are lost every year,
 More than 10 million hectares (25 million acres) of crop land are




degraded or lost to water and wind erosion of topsoil,
300m hectares has been so severely degraded it cannot produce food,
Arable land loss is estimated at 30 to 35 times the historical rate.
Land degradation directly affects 1.5 billion people globally.
In the drylands, due to drought and desertification, 12 million hectares
of land are transformed into new human-made deserts each year (That
is an area with the potential to produce 20 million tons of grain every
year).
SSSN ANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE, LAFIA MARCH 12 2013
FOOD SECURITY
Food security can be defined as “[the condition] when
all people, at all times, have physical, social and
economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food
[to meet] their dietary needs and food preferences for
an active and healthy life”. It thus encompasses the
availability of food, people’s access to food and
their use of food, as well as the stability of all three
components. This definition includes the qualitative
dimensions of safety and nutrition, linking food
security to people’s energy, protein and nutrient
needs for life, activity, pregnancy and growth.7 It also
points to a horizon beyond food security, the
potential for a full and active life (UNDP AFRICA
HUMAN DEVREPT 2012)
Conceptual Framework for Food Security (after Hildrink, H., et al.,
2012)
The focus for availability is on agricultural production as a combination
of land and agricultural productivity.
Access dimension includes food prices, and income and food
distribution.
Utilisation dimension concerns impacts from inadequate use of food, in
particular the prevalence of child malnutrition, and its interaction with
other risks such as limited access to safe drinking water.
FOOD INSECURITY – WITHER NIGERIA?
 Food insecurity rose from about 18% in 1986 to about 41% in
2004, with an estimated population of 150 million, this implies
that over 61 million Nigerians are food insecure, that is are
either hungry, under nourished, or starving. This is not
surprising given that about 52% of the population live under
the poverty line (Abu, 2012).
 With increase in the level of poverty to about 69% (National
Bureau of Statistics , 2011), the level of food insecurity has
definitely increased from the already high value of 41% of
2004
 Limited research that took into consideration the series of
indicators listed in the above Table.
 Main environmental factors of interest in this paper are soil
degradation and climate change.
SSSN ANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE, LAFIA MARCH 12 2013
SOIL DEGRADATION AND FOOD INSECURITY
 Food insecurity is caused by the combination of different
factors. One of them greatly affecting the availability and
stability pillars of food security is food production. The
foundation of food production is a healthy land system
(healthy soils).
 The severity and extent of land degradation has a direct
impact on the food insecurity and poverty status in the
different regions .
 Nutrient depletion in soils adversely affects soil quality
and reduces crop yield and consequently poses a potential
threat to global food security and agricultural
sustainability and terrestrial ecosystems.
 Significantly soil depletion is creating less vigorous
growth resulting in lower yields but it also creates lower
rates of photosynthesis which results in reduced carbon
dioxide to oxygen conversation.
SSSN ANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE, LAFIA MARCH 12 2013
SOIL DEGRADATION AND FOOD INSECURITY
 Nutrient depletion reduces our vegetations ability to reduce
CO2 in our atmosphere which is part of the carbon
sequestration we need to deal with the climate crisis.
 Human-induced nutrient depletion has become a serious
problem for the balance in our eco systems globally.
 Basically we have been mining nutrients from our soil and in
general we have not been replacing all the nutritional
resources that planet need to thrive in the process.
 Soil fertility problems associated with human-induced
nutrient depletion are widespread in Nigeria, with
consequences on national food security
CLIMATE CHANGE INCREASES RISKS
Averaged globally, the surface has warmed by about 0.8oC since 1850 – warming
largely concentrated in two periods (1910 to around 1940 and from around 1975 to
around 2000) – warming not geographically uniform. Each decade since the 1970s has
been clearly warmer than the one immediately preceding it. The decade 2000-2009
was, globally, around 0.15oC warmer than the decade 1990-1999 see figure).
CLIMATE CHANGE INCREASES RISKS:
Climate change will bring greater unpredictability to weather patterns in
Nigeria. Future trends of climatic elements relevant to food production in the
region as modelled by Karmalkar, et al. (2010) and Abiodun et al. (2011) are
captured in the following Table, which gives a summary of climatic trends and
future scenarios for the country.
Period
Temperature
Rainfall
Extreme Events
Historical
(1960 – 2006)
Temperature increased by 0.8°C between
1960 and 2006, an average rate of 0.18°C
per decade. More hot nights, fewer cold
nights.
No sufficient daily data to identify
statistically significant trends
in daily rainfall extremes.
2060s
(relative to current
climate)

Highly variable from year to year, season
to season, decade to decade with periods
of wet years alternating with period of
dry years. Statistically decreasing trend of
3.5 mm per month (1.8%) per decade
Wide range of changes with an overall
tendency towards decrease (June to
August)


Heavy events tend towards further
increases, particularly in June to
August with a general increase in
the number of days of rain, days
with extreme rainfall and flooding,
except in the extreme northeastern
part. Maximum 1-day and
maximum 5-day rainfalls tend to
increase slightly, changing by -1 to
+20mm and by -6 to +30mm
respectively.



2090s
(relative to current
climate)




+1.1 to 2.50C (warming generally
higher in northern Nigeria)
18 – 49% increase in hot days (on the
lower side in northern Nigeria)
32 – 60% increase in hot nights (on
the lower side in northern Nigeria)
decrease in the frequency of cold days
and nights
+1.4 – 4.60C (warming generally
higher in northern Nigeria)
23 – 73% increase in hot days (on the
lower side in northern Nigeria)
37 – 74% increase in hot nights(on the
lower side in northern Nigeria)
no decrease in the frequency of cold
days and nights
-15 - +23% in July to September
-12 - +32% in June to August
Heavy events tend towards
increases, particularly in June to
August with a general increase in
the number of days of rain, days
with extreme rainfall and flooding,
except in the extreme northeastern
part
CLIMATE CHANGE INCREASES RISKS
CLIMATE CHANGE INCREASES RISKS
CLIMATE CHANGE INCREASES RISKS
EXPECTED CHANGES IN INGERIA:
Source: Stern Review, 2008
Almost 35% of all greenhouse gases (GHG) released into the atmosphere due to
anthropogenic activities since 1850 are linked to land use changes. Crop, grazing,
and forest lands, as well as wetlands all have the potential to contribute to or,
through sound management strategies, mitigate GHG emissions through soil
carbon sequestration, while also enhancing ecosystem services. But soil
degradation in the face of changing climate will lead to a vicious cycle of land
degradation, biodiversity loss and increased climatic events that will further
reduce food production and enhance food insecurity.
Source: Safriel, U. 2011
SSSN ANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE, LAFIA MARCH 12 2013
ENSURING FOOD SECURITY
 Nigeria, like any of the Sub-Saharan African countries, will have to take into
account the following factors to ensure its future food security:
 a healthy and educated population, essential to be able to capitalise to






demographic dividend through higher labour productivity;
inclusive growth to let progress at macro level trickle down to poorer population
segments;
modernisation of agriculture including adequate infrastructure and production
conditions;
address competing claims, for energy, water and irrigation;
institutional settings that provide stable incomes and incentives to invest in
agriculture;
environmental sustainability and ways to mitigate and cope with biodiversity
loss and climate variability. In particular the country must pursue a climatesmart and climate-resilient agriculture that will include sustainable use of its soil
resources; and
political stability and conflict resolution.
 These are necessary conditions , but they may be not sufficient, for achieving
food security – national discourse critical – conference focus on the soil aspect
SSSN ANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE, LAFIA MARCH 12 2013
FUTURE RESEARCH PRIORITIES
 In line with the global interest that has been advocated by many Soil Science
Societies/Associations (e.g. Soil Science Society of America, the Soil Science
Society of Nigeria may identify with the following soil grand challenges for




future research areas:
Climate Change. Determine the mechanisms controlling greenhouse gas emissions
from organic soils, particularly tundra and permafrost soils, and identify methods to
control these emissions.
Food and Energy Security. Elucidate site-specific soil management solutions that
maximize soil agroeosystem services, minimize soil disturbance, and concurrently
increase soil carbon reserves while reducing the nutrient, water, and pesticide
inputs.
Waste Treatment and Water Quality. Manage the soil-based re-use of waste—
industrial and stormwaters – in rural and urban environments to maximize water
infiltration and storage and minimize damage to aquatic systems and reduce
dependence on groundwater.
Human and Ecosystem Health. Harness the microbial diversity of soil to develop
new pharmaceuticals, deactivate pathogens in waste material and contaminated
water, and prevent impairment of watersheds.
SSSN ANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE, LAFIA MARCH 12 2013
BIBLIOGRAPHY
 Abu, O., 2012: Food Security in Nigeria and South Africa: Policies and Challenges.
Hum Ecol, 38(1): 31-35 (2012)
 Hilderink, H., et al., 2012: Food security in sub-Saharan Africa: An exploratory study.
PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency
 Karmalkar, A., McSweeney, C., New, M and Lizcano, G., 2010: The UNDP Climate
Change Country Profiles: Nigeria. Available at http://country-profiles.geog.ox.ac.uk.
 Rojas, R.V., 2012. How to achieve a land degradation neutral world. FAO/Global Soil
Partnership
 Safriel, U. 2011. Land degradation and climate change – turning vicious to a virtuous
cycle. Presented at the UNFCCC- COP 17 Durban, South Africa.
 Scherr, S. J., 1999: Soil Degradation: A threat to developing-country food security by
2020. Food, Agriculture and the Environment Discussion Paper 27.Available online
at: http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/go/collection/iaastd-international-assessment-
of-agricultural-science-andtechnology- for-development.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING
THE END