13 THE RESOURCES OF THE NIGER DELTA: SOIL AND AGRICULTURE
- Introduction
- Agriculture in the LEM Ecozone
- Agriculture in the Fresh-Water Ecozone
- Agriculture in the Brackish-Water Ecozone
- Agriculture and the Barrier Island Ecozone
- A Summary of the Agricultural Resources in the Niger Delta
13.1 INTRODUCTION
13.1.1 SOIL IS THE RESOURCE
Agriculture, unlike say forests or water, is not a resource, but arises from the use of other resources, primarily soil. Agriculture is best understood in terms of soil, because as we explained in chapter two, soil is a unique expression of geology, topography, climate and hydrology. Moreover, as explained in chapter three, soil is also related to the vegetation that grows on it and for which it provides the medium of growth.
Thus soil is a valid way of defining ecozones and, in any given place, just as the soil indicates what the climax vegetation would be under natural conditions, so it also indicates agricultural potential. In pre-industrial times soil was an important influence (amongst others) on settlement patterns (because people settled where the land was good for agriculture) and on agricultural practice which was (and still is, to a great extent) determined by the specific soil conditions. In this respect it could be said that soil, by determining agriculture, has been an important factor in the evolution of human society and culture.
13.1.2 THE SOILS OF THE NIGER DELTA
The soils of the Niger Delta are described in detail in Chapter 4. Section 5, however, for convenience, a summary is given here:-
| INCEPTISOL AQUEPT SOILS | The most widespread soil of the Niger Delta and typical poorly drained tropical soils. |
| Shallow, waterlogged soils found throughout the FAM and BAM ecozones. Their agricultural use is limited by impeded drainage but nonetheless, in the FAM ecozone, where there is an element of seasonal drainage they can be valuable for to rice cultivation, oil and raffia palms and short dry-season cropping. These soils are particularly subject to flooding. | |
| SULPHAQUEPT SOILS | A specific type of Inceptisol Aquept soils |
