Publisher: Asian Economic and Social Society ISSN: 2224-4433 Volume 2. No. 2, June 2012 Adopted Engineering and Agronomic Conservation Measures of Agricultural Land Use in Lafia L. G. A. Nasarawa State of Nigeria Jonathan Kuje Yohanna (Department of Agricultural Engineering Technology, College of Agriculture, P M B 33, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria) Simeon Ode (Department of Agricultural Engineering Technology, College of Agriculture, P M B 33, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria) Habiba K. Ali (Department of Agricultural Engineering Technology, College of Agriculture, P M B 33, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria) Usman A. Fulani (Department of Agricultural Engineering Technology, College of Agriculture, P M B 33, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria) Azagaku E. Dominic (Department of Crop Production Technology College of Agriculture, P M B 33, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria) Citation: Jonathan Kuje Yohanna., Simeon Ode., Habiba, K. Ali., Usman, A. Fulani., and Azagaku, E. Dominic (2012): “Adopted Engineering and Agronomic Conservation Measures of Agricultural Land Use in Lafia L.G.A, Nasarawa State of Nigeria”, Asian Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 155-161. Asian Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development, 2(2), pp. 155-161 155 Author(s) Jonathan Kuje Yohanna Department of Agricultural Engineering Technology, College of Agriculture, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria Email:engrkuje@yahoo.com Simeon Ode Department of Agricultural Engineering Technology, College of Agriculture, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria Habiba, K. Ali Department of Agricultural Engineering Technology, College of Agriculture, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria Usman, A. Fulani Department of Agricultural Engineering Technology, College of Agriculture, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria Azagaku, E. Dominic Department of Crop Production Technology, College of Agriculture, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria Adopted Engineering and Agronomic Conservation Measures of Agricultural Land Use in Lafia L.G.A. Nasarawa State of Nigeria Abstract The study examined agricultural land use and adopted conservation measures in Lafia local government Area of Nasarawa state. The data were collected by oral interview and structured questionnaire. Two hundred farmers were randomly selected across the local government area. The field survey revealed that 42% of the farmers are at the range of 35-45 years of age. 60% of the farmers within the study area don’t practice irrigation farming. The results also showed that 58% of the farmers have attended post primary school. 66% of the land area is relatively flat thereby leading to moderate erosion. 88% of the farmers used local methods of cultivation leading to small area (1-4ha) of land being cultivated per a farmer. 44% of the farmers experienced sheet erosion on their farm lands leading to 40% of low yield. 22% of the farmers practiced most of the conservation practices on the land to minimize soil degradation and nutrient restoration. 40% of farmers surveyed encountered problem of high cost of labour and 46% of them obtained loan from the agricultural bank to solve some of the problems encountered. It is therefore recommended among other things that agricultural land use should be studied and conservation methods should be adopted to increase agricultural production in the study area. Keywords: Conservation Measures, Adoption, Agricultural Land Use, Lafia Introduction Land refers not just to soil but the combined resources of terrain, water, soil, and vegetation that provide the basis of land use (Pieri et al., 1995; King, 2009 and Ezeaku, 2011). The concept of land has been defined as the area of the earth`s surface, the characteristics of which embraces all reasonably stable or predictable cyclic attributes of the atmosphere vertically above and below this area, including those of the atmosphere, the plant and animal population and the result of the past and present human activities, to the extent that the attributes exert a significant influence on the present and future uses of the land (FAO, 1976). Land has also been referred to as the totality of fundamentals to our existence (Akamigbo, 1999). Land use and town planners, surveyors and other professions refers it to that portion of the earth which input and use by man for specific or particular purpose (Naguto and Usman, 2004). Land use also has been defined by Vink (1975) as any kind of permanent or cyclic intervention to satisfy human needs from complex of material and artificial resources which together constitute land. According to Odingo (1991), land use in Africa is excessively influenced by existing ecological conditions and is in turn influenced by the pattern of use which have been set by previous generations and administrators depending on the land and level of technology which was available to them at that time. Due to changing human needs and competition for different uses of land, there is need for systematic land use planning where land evaluation serves as a basis for land use planning. Land degradation in Nigeria may be grouped into soil erosion, soil fertility and soil pollution by soil spillage and industrial waste (Asadu et al., 2001, 2004) soil degradation is accelerated when the forest cover is removed or pasture are overgrazed . Soil compaction could be as a result of misuse of machinery on agricultural soils or over-grazing. A soil that has been degraded required fallowing for effective rehabilitation. Soil degradation refers to the processes through which soil productivity is reduced (Hulugalle 1992; Lal, 1993; Steiner, 1996). Soil productivity is the capacity of a soil Asian Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development, 2(2), pp. 155-161 156 to produce a certain yield of crops or other plants with a specified management system (Kang et al. 1999a). In rehabilitating a degraded soil, the level of degradation must be put into consideration as this would influence rate of soil recovery or soil resilience. Kay (1990) defined resilience of soil structure as the ability of a soil to recover its structural form through natural processes when applied stresses are reduced or removed. Land degradation due to nutrient, mining, erosion, and desertification is the major problem facing crop production in Nigeria. Over the years farmers have relied on the application of mineral fertilizer for maintenance of soil and crop production. However, high cost of mineral fertilizers has led to interest in soil conservation (Ali, 2006). Therefore, conservation is defined as the use of land within the limit of economic feasibility according to its capabilities and its needs in order to keep it permanently productive for the present and future generation. According to Yohanna and Isa (2007), when land is used carelessly, it can be swept away in a very short time. Yet it has taken some hundreds of years to form. It is for this reason that soil should be given special care and every effort should be made to prevent erosion. Thus, soil conservation is a system of preventing the soil from being damaged or destroyed or lost and to maintain and increase the fertility of the soil by good soil management. Conservation has also been referred to as the dynamic application of appropriate legal economic and operational measure to preserve specific assets from destruction or deterioration and safeguard their future. Ali (2006) further defined soil conservation as the use of land within the units of economic feasibility, according to its capabilities and its needs in order to keep it permanently productive for the present and future generation. All adaptable measures to achieve permanent production of soil constitute different forms of conservation. Soil conservation on agricultural lands guarantees sustainable productivity of the soil (Badajo and Togun ,2001). Based on recent consideration of environmental and soil quality, soil conservation indicates environmental issues such as mitigation of gas emission from the soil under forest or agricultural practices into the atmosphere (Duxbury 1999, Bourma 1997, Auserward and kukilik 1998 and Adesina et al. 1999).The research was aimed at studying agricultural land use and to evaluate the uses of land in terms of agricultural activities in Lafia Local Government Area. Other objectives include; to identity soil conservation techniques adopted by the farmers within the environment of the study area and to recommend ways of minimizing land degradation processes and the best methods to be adopted as soil conservation practice Materials and Methods (Methodology) The study area is Lafia Local Government Area of Nasarawa State located within the guinea ecological/savanna zone of middle belt of Nigeria. It is located within latitude 8 o – 9 o north of the equator and between 8 o – 9 o east of the Greenwich meridian. The area has an estimated land area of about 2733km 2 (Focus, 1991) and a projected population of about 260,000 (NPC, 1991). A well developed and structured questionnaire was administered to 200 farmers within the two districts of the study area. The questions on the questionnaire sought information on farmers personal and socio- economic characteristics, level of education, farm size, major occupation, types of crops cultivated, sources of water, nature of farm land, acquisition of farm land, method of cultivation, nature of erosion and its effects and control measures and how land is being utilized among other things. Data were collected from using the administered questionnaire developed as the main tool. The questionnaire designed investigated and described the farming conditions in the study area. It also evaluated the conservation measures adopted in the study area in order to increase agricultural productivity. Results Presentation and Analysis The information collected from the interview scheduled are presented and analysis using simple descriptive statistics such as frequency distribution tables and percentages. Table 1: Distribution of farmers according to age Age class interval Frequency Percentage (%) 15 – 25 - - 26 – 35 68 34 36 – 45 84 42 46 and above 48 24 Total 200 100 Source: Field survey, 2011 Asian Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development, 2(2), pp. 155-161 157 Table 2: Distribution of farmers according to sex Sex Frequency Percentage Male 184 92 Female 16 8 Total 200 100 Source: Field survey, 2011 Table 3: Distribution of farmers according to educational level Educational level Frequency Percentage Post primary school 84 42 Others 116 58 Total 200 100 Source: Field survey, 2011 Table 4: Types of crops cultivated Types of crops Frequency Percentage Rice 12 6 Maize 16 8 Cassava 28 14 Groundnut 4 2 All of the above 140 70 Total 200 100 Source: Field survey, 2011 Table 5: Distribution of districts based on those practicing irrigation Districts Frequency Percentage Lafia 92 46 Assakio 108 54 Total 200 100 Source: Field survey, 2011 Table 6: Crops cultivated using irrigation Crops grown under irrigation Frequency Percentage Rice 36 18 Maize 48 24 Sugarcane 32 16 None using irrigation 84 42 Total 200 100 Source: Field survey, 2011 Table 7: Frequency of farmers according to farm size using irrigation practices Farm size (ha) Frequency Percentage 1 – 2 32 16 3 – 4 36 18 5 – 6 12 6 7 and above 0 - None using irrigation 120 60 Total 200 100 Source: Field survey, 2011 Table 8: Frequency of farmers based on farm size using pastoral farming Farm size (ha) Frequency Percentage 1 – 2 40 20 3 – 4 16 8 6 above 4 2 None 140 70 Total 200 100 Source: Field survey, 2011 Asian Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development, 2(2), pp. 155-161 158 Table 9: Distribution of farmers based on the nature of the farm Nature of farm land Frequency Percentage Flat 132 66 Steep slope 32 16 Sloppy 36 18 Total 200 100 Source: Field survey, 2011 Table 10: Distribution of farmers according to land owner Source of land Frequency Percentage Purchase 32 16 Hiring 28 14 Inheritance 116 58 Borrowing 24 12 Total 200 100 Source: Field survey, 2011 Table 11: Distribution of farmers based on method of cultivation used Methods of cultivation Frequency Percentage Local (hoe) 176 88 Mechanized (tractor) 24 12 Animal Traction - - Total 200 100 Source: Field survey, 2011 Table 12: Distribution according to nature of erosion taking place on the farmland Types of water erosion Frequency Percentage Sheet 88 44 Rill 64 32 Gully 32 16 All of the above 16 8 Total 200 100 Source: Field survey, 2011 Table 13: Distribution based on the effect of erosion on farmland Effect of erosion Frequency Percentage Low yield 80 40 Farmland reduction 56 28 Farm operation difficulty 64 32 Total 200 100 Source: Field survey, 2011 Table 14: Distribution according to method of controlling erosion Method Frequency Percentage Ridge construction 56 38 Drainage system construction 68 14 Plant cover crops 52 26 All of the above 44 22 Total 200 100 Source: Field survey, 2011 Table 15: Distribution based on problem encountered during farm operations Problem Frequency Percentage High cost of labour 176 88 Leaching 44 22 High cost of input 56 28 Diseases 20 10 Total 200 100 Source: Field survey, 2011 Asian Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development, 2(2), pp. 155-161 159 Table 16: Distribution based on how problems were tackled during farm operations Solution to problems encountered Frequency Percentage Purchase of chemical 36 18 Contacting of extension agents 72 32 Obtaining loan from Agric Bank 92 46 Total 200 100 Source: Field survey, 2011 Table 17: Distribution on how land was conserved Method of conservation Frequency Percentage Crop rotation 56 28 Monoculture 72 36 Shifting cultivation 40 20 Bush fallowing 32 16 Total 200 100 Source: Field Survey, 2011 Discussion of Results The results of the field survey showed that most of the farmers in the study area are in the range of 36 – 45 years. It also shows that most of the people within the age range of 15 – 25 years do not participate in the farming (Table 1). Most of the farmers (92%) are males (Table 2). It is also observed that majority of the farmers surveyed (58%) attended post primary school (Table 3). The survey revealed that 70% of the farmers in the study area cultivate rice, maize, cassava and groundnut (Table 4) but in the course of the field survey most of the crops grown include yam, millet and tree crops. This shows that farming has a dominant revenue yielding sector for the general population of the study area. It is also revealed from Table 5 that, 54% of the respondents in Assakio district do practice irrigation but for the high percentage (54%) of those that practiced irrigation, yield is increased and of high quality as a result of sufficient water supply and a variety of crops such as rice or maize may be grown twice in a year as stated by Yohanna and Isa (2007). Most of the crops grown under irrigation during the dry season are vegetables (such as Okra, Tomatoes, and Pepper), maize, rice and sometimes sugar cane. It was observed that most of the farmers (34%) cultivated between 1 and 4ha (Table 7 & 8). This is because of the usage of primitive tools (hoes) for the cultivation of their farm lands, a result agreeing with that of Table 11. From Table 8, 70% of the farmers do not practiced pastoral farming because of the effect of soil erosion hence only 2% of the farmers have up to 6ha and above of farm land for pastoral farming (Table 8). Also only small area of land is cultivated due to land tenure system and reduction on the part of land user to embrace mechanization of farms (Asadu et al., 2004) (Table 11). Most of the land use for agricultural activities (66%) are flat (Table 9); thus resulting to moderate level of erosion. Majority of the farmers (58%) acquired their lands through inheritance (Table 10), agreeing with the system stated by Asadu et al. (2004) that most of the tenure and allocation system restrict ownership to clan and community members. This situation affects agricultural land uses because excess land fragmentation leaves small holdings uncultivated. The survey also revealed that most of the farmers (88%) in the study area used local methods (hoe) in cultivating their lands (Table 11). The situation may be due to rampant land fragmentation and existence of different land tenure and allocation system. Another reason may be due to financial problem and beliefs that use of tractors causes soil compaction and destruction of soil structure and texture. It is noticed that majority of the farmers surveyed experienced high percentage (44%) of sheet erosion (Table 12). This may be due to its unnoticibility to the eye when the top soil portions are removed in a very thin sheet (Yohanna and Isa, 2007). Table 13 shows that erosion has a serious effect on agricultural land use due to low inherent fertility and poor soil structure are subjected to high rainfall intensity along with high temperatures, in addition to population pressure, all of which, favour land degradation. The high percentage (38%) of ridge construction and planting of cover crops (26%, Table 14) agreed with what Asadu et al. (2001, 2004) stated that contour ridging and ridging works best on permeable soils such as the Lafia soils and cover crops such as melon hasten soil fertility restoration respectively. The high cost of labour (40%) Table 15, during the farming operations may be due to farmers’ reluctance to embrace innovations as one of the problems of agricultural land users in Nigeria. As a result of the problems encountered during farming operations, most of the Asian Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development, 2(2), pp. 155-161 160 farmers (46%) secured loans from the agricultural bank, source (32%) contacted extension agents while 18% bought chemicals to solve some of the encountered problems (Table 16). It is also being observed from the survey that a high percentage (36%) of the farmers practiced monoculture farming (Table 17). This practice affect agricultural land uses due to continuous farming which makes the soil become weak and easily eroded by erosion. Conclusion The agricultural land use plan for Lafia Local Government Area to succeed, they have to include government agencies, traditional institutions, farmers, researchers, non-governmental organizations (NGO) and companies involved in land matters for agricultural production. They all have to participate in the process of planning, preparation of agricultural land use plans, execution of plans and monitoring and evaluation of agricultural land and should also provide information for possible revisions and updating. The soils are generally poor in chemical fertility status and this affects productivity. Generally, the studies on productivity enhancement through soil fertility maintenance in the nutrient poor soils of the study area are interdisciplinary in approach. As such the soil scientists, agro economists, geologists, economists and extension agents should be involved. The integration of cover crops techniques for sustainable agricultural production has control the noxious weeds, improve soil fertility, soil conservation and improve crop yields. Recommendations 1. There is the need to increase land area under agricultural activities in the study area. Effort should be made to remove all impediments to farmers’ access to suitable agricultural land. This will expand their farmland areas so as to increase their production status. 2. There is the need for more intensive irrigation development, as large irrigation potentials exists in the study area. 3. There is the need to promote a more effective use of modern inputs such as tractors, fertilizers and herbicides 4. The farmers should adopt certain conservation measures to enhance soil fertility restoration or rehabilitation for increased agricultural production 5. The state government and the individual communities should address the problems of farmers/pastorists (nomads). They should encourage forage crop production and restructure the management of grazing reserves livestock in order to reduce erosion 6. Degraded lands should be reclaimed and protected from deforestation and erosion 7. 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