Prof Ignatius Onimawo, has called for the abolishment of the act of bush burning as it contributed to the emission of greenhouse gases responsible for climate change.
Onimawo said this on Wednesday in Jos, during the 7th international annual conference of the Society for Agriculture, Environmental Resources, and Management (SAEREM).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the conference is “Climate Action Effects of Fuel Subsidy Removal on Agricultural Productions and Food Security Sustainable Fisheries, Biodiversity, Soil Conservation, and Agricultural Resources.”
He said the traditional practice of clearing farmland through burning added to the atmospheric stock of gases, thus increasing global climate change, and as such, the act should be abolished.
Onimawo opined that rather than burning, the land should be cleared and raked of grasses with the use of farm tools, or alternatively, allowing the grasses to decompose and increase the soil fertility.
He further said the business of charcoal exportation had heightened deforestation and, at the same time, increased the emission of carbon monoxide in the process of converting the felled wood to charcoal.
The lecturer decried climate change adverse effects on food security in ways such as changes in temperature, precipitation patterns, and the frequency of extreme weather conditions that reduce crop yields.
He further said that climate change could lead to soil degradation through increased erosion, reduced fertility, and changes in soil moisture levels, making it more difficult to grow crops and maintain healthy agricultural lands.
According to him, warmer temperatures and shifting weather patterns could increase the number of pests and plant diseases, which could lead to greater crop losses and increased use of pesticides.
Similarly, Prof. Zacharia Yaduma, the Director-General, Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, delivered a paper titled “Conservation of Forests in Nigeria: The Pivotal Role of Community Engagement.”
Yaduma said forests play a vital role in absorbing a large amount of carbon monoxide and serve as a natural habitat for many animals and, as such, should be preserved.
Earlier, Prof. Kingsley Okeke-Agulu, the chairman of the local organising committee, said the deliberations of the conference would be forwarded to policymakers in the agricultural and environmental sectors of the economy.
He said that other stakeholders would also be given the conference resolutions for the overall benefit of Nigeria and the global economy.
NAN reports that various persons were made fellows of the association.(NAN)
