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Organic Carbon in Tropical Soils: Current Trends and Potential for Carbon Sequestration in Nigerian Cropping Systems

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Handbook of Climate Change Management

Abstract

Soils in semi-arid tropics of sub-Saharan Africa are low in organic matter and fertility, coupled with years of nutrient mining. Continuous crop production on these nutrient-deficient soils often results in poor yields and low quality crop products, and further depletion of the limited soil resources under poor agricultural management. Agricultural intensification to increase food for the growing population requires strategies that will sequester carbon by building the organic matter base and fertility of soils, as well as increase yields of crops. Carbon sequestration has the potential to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide and increase soil organic carbon in African soils and agroforestry systems. Cropping systems that include conservation agriculture (vis a vis minimum tillage operations, use of leguminous cover crops, addition of organic matter, retention of crop residues on farm fields), crop rotation, cereal-legume intercrop, and agroforestry have the potential to sequester carbon in soils, increase yields of crops, and increase water retention in semi-arid soils of Nigeria. In this chapter, we discussed the potential of the cropping systems in semi-arid agroecological zone of Nigeria for carbon sequestration through organic carbon build-up in soil (soil sequestration) and increase in crop yields (sequestration in biomass).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Soil Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria

    Aisha Abdulkadir & Christogonus Kayode Daudu

  2. School of Environmental Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada

    Ibrahim Mohammed

  3. National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria

    Christogonus Kayode Daudu

Authors
  1. Aisha Abdulkadir
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  2. Ibrahim Mohammed
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  3. Christogonus Kayode Daudu
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Correspondence to Aisha Abdulkadir .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Sciences, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Johannes M. Luetz

  2. College of Development Studies Food Security Studies, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Desalegn Ayal

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Abdulkadir, A., Mohammed, I., Daudu, C.K. (2021). Organic Carbon in Tropical Soils: Current Trends and Potential for Carbon Sequestration in Nigerian Cropping Systems. In: Luetz, J.M., Ayal, D. (eds) Handbook of Climate Change Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57281-5_307

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