An agritech expert, Dr Bisola Aduba, has urged Nigeria to adopt precision agriculture to boost food production instead of expanding cultivation into shrinking farmlands.
Aduba said this in an interview on Wednesday in Abuja, noting that desertification, insecurity and rapid population growth have made it necessary for farmers to produce more food from existing farmland.
She said the future of agriculture in states such as Benue and Southern Kaduna lies in using technology to improve productivity rather than clearing more land, which could worsen conflicts over grazing routes.
According to her, digital soil mapping enables farmers to identify soil conditions, including acidity and nutrient deficiencies, allowing them to apply fertilisers more efficiently, reduce costs and improve crop yields.
Aduba also highlighted the benefits of drones equipped with multispectral sensors, saying they can detect crop stress, pest infestations and moisture shortages early, enabling timely intervention and reducing production losses.
She added that precision farming, including sensor-guided irrigation, automated planting equipment and drone-assisted spot spraying, can increase productivity while reducing water use and chemical application.
The expert said digital mapping and geo-fencing technologies could also help reduce conflicts between farmers and herders by clearly defining farm boundaries and grazing corridors.
She called on governments, agricultural extension services and development partners to expand farmers’ access to digital soil data, drone services and other precision farming technologies to improve food security and farm productivity despite declining arable land.
