Bush Burning, Counter-Productive – Don

A university don,
Prof. Ndiowa Lale of the University of Port Harcourt has cautioned against bush burning by farmers.
Lale who spoke with The Tide recently in a telephone interview said the traditional bush burning which proceeds planting was damaging to the soil.
He said the practice has both good and bad sides adding that the disadvantage outweigh the advantages.
According to him the process of burning softens the top soil and makes it easier for the farmer especially those who use crude implements.
He said during burning most of the nutrients in the soil would have been destroyed.
“The disadvantages are that when they burn there are certain soil-dwelling organises like earth worms and some other organises that help in the recycling of nutrients in the soil.
“If you burn them you reduce soil fertility by burning”, he said.
The Professor of Animal and Environmental Biology further said that the organic content matter of the soil would be reduced thereby leading to negative impact on the nutrients.
He advised that after clearing the weeds , tweeds be allowed to mix and enter the soil especially at the wet season.
On the whole, he said farmers should cut the bush and pack the brush to enable them have space to plow and plant.

Participants from the Zimbabwean National Defence College, at an interactive session on Agriculture with directors in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in Abuja last Tuesday. Photo: NAN.