SOIL EVANGELIZATION IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Soil evangelization is a holistic transdisciplinary passionate approach to raise awareness about the importance of soils and to address soil and land related challenges to sustainable development. It is an agricultural transformation project to impact primarily, on Nigerians and the global soil science community, a positive attitudinal change in soil resources use and management, to enhance ecosystem conservation and food security. It is an emerging grass root and national soil movement in Nigeria conceived by Dr. Godwin O. Chukwu on 25 June, 2015, at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture (MOUA), Umudike, as a contribution to the celebration of the International Year of Soils 2015 in Nigeria. He also introduced a soil slogan: “Soil Evangelization for Ecosystem Conservation and Food Security”. A soil evangelization group, made up of lecturers and students who volunteered to champion this social crusade, was formally launched. It involves adding value to soils to attract more youths by incorporating songs and drama in the teaching of soil science. The paper introduced soil evangelization as a soils’ re-birth, calling for a passionate approach to sustainable soil management to enhance its capacity to provide ecosystem functions and sustain food security.