Prospects of Sustainable Soil Management to a Green Economy

Article No.: 100317145 DOI: 10.15580/GJAS.2017.8.100317145 This paper examines the predominant role of soil resource as an integral factor that could influence the prospective contributions of agriculture to the green economy. It identifies soil as a natural resource that must be sustainably managed to maximize the contribution of agriculture to the production of food to feed the bourgeoning human population in Nigeria as well as reduce poverty level of the people. If agriculture is to contribute meaningfully to the transition to green economy, the soil issue must be taken seriously. To this end, the paper highlights certain factors that affect soil productivity which must be addressed to enhance the contributions of agriculture towards the realization of a green economy. These include soil erosion, soil salinity, perennial flooding, desert encroachment and drought, soil mismanagement and misuse which result in the decline in soil fertility. The paper therefore recommends pragmatic actions that must be taken to address these problems such as land–use management system like agroecology, agroforestry, scientific crop rotation system, no-till cultivation and appropriate application of soil improvement fertilizer, among others. Submitted: 03/10/2017 Accepted: 09/10/2017 Published: 14/10/2017