Soil Erosion and Population Problems in South-East Nigeria

Abstract

IN the African colonies future development depends largely on full use being made of the soil and standards of living can rise only with increased production. This in itself entails the danger of soil exhaustion, of which accelerated erosion is often only a symptom. On account of growing populations and consequent overfarming, even the maintenance of present standards is already difficult in some areas. There are large areas in Nigeria with more than 300 persons to the square mile (Fig. 1) and though such concentrations are exceeded in the Nile valley and near a few industrial centres, they are comparatively rare elsewhere in Africa. In Nigeria these communities are almost entirely agricultural and faced with the problem of maintaining the fertility of land which is farmed more or less annually. In the vicinities of Kano, Katsina and Sokoto in the Northern Provinces mixed farming is practised, while the Ibos of the populous belt extending from Onitsha to Ikot Ekpene in the Eastern Provinces are hoe-cultivators largely dependent on their valuable oil-palm gardens. On the margins of these areas and within them, heavy pressure on the less carefully farmed land has contributed to soil deterioration and erosion.