Impact Factor (2025): 6.9
DOI Prefix: 10.47001/IRJIET
Food is an
indispensable and an important factor in nation‘s quest for economic growth and
development. In Nigeria, most of the food need is produced by the peasant
farmers who clinged to their traditional farm practices. Most of our farming
lands are depleted of their fertility and cannot produce as much as they did
years ago. Changes in climatic patterns have fundamentally affected
agricultural production; farmers are experiencing the effect of climate change
as in some parts, rains are coming earlier than before while in others, rains
are coming later. Therefore, to combat this low in soil fertility and climate
change effect on food production, farmers have to embrace strategies for
improved yields especially location specific of sustainable agricultural
intensification such as Good Agronomic Practices (GAP). GAP is practice that
involved environmental, economical and social sustainability for agricultural
processes and results in high quality food products. GAP involves selection of
appropriate site, preparation of land on time and to the right standard,
managing water resources, selection of suitable planting materials, sowing at
the require time and depth, maintenance of soil fertility and application of
fertilizer at the require rate and time, weeding at the require time and
maintenance of quality to meet market value. Researchers have shown that GAP
increase yield and market value tremendously. Therefore, it is important to
sensitize farmers and create awareness on the benefits associated with improved
agricultural practices so as to ensure sustainable food security.
Country : Nigeria
IRJIET, Volume 7, Issue 7, July 2023 pp. 66-73