A REPORT ON THE 46th LUCRID WEBINAR

Post by: bankole
November 4, 2024
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The 46th LUCRID webinar with the theme, “Soil and Water: A Source of Life”, was held at the University’s International Exhibition Centre (IEC) on Wednesday, 5thDec 2023, World Soil Day. The webinar started at 2:00 p.m. and lasted till 3:30 pm, it was anchored by Dr Ayo Shoyombo.

Following an opening prayer from Dr A. Kolawole, and the University Anthem coordinated by the Centre for Systems and Information Services (CSIS), the 46thLUCRID Webinar series had a fly opening with addresses from the Director LUCRID, Dr A. O. Dada, giving the prologue of the webinar and the Dean CAS, Dr. O. O. Alabi gave the address of welcome and encouraged the participants to make the most of the webinar, after which a video presentation done by CAS students commemorating the World Soil Day was played.

The guest speaker Prof. Olufunmilayo Ande, a renowned scholar and researcher, took the floor to speak virtually on the webinar theme, following the reading of her citation by Dr. Joseph Abiodun.

Prof. Ande commenced the presentation by creating awareness of World Soil Day and why it is celebrated every year. She told us that every year on the 5^th of December worldwide is World Soil Day celebration and that the day is an important occasion for us to understand the importance of soil ourselves and to explain it to others. She went further to state that there can be no life without soil as it feeds us and we are responsible for it. The soil is formed from rocks that are decomposed slowly by wind, rain, animals, and plants with the sun as a source of energy but it is in danger because of expanding cities, deforestation, unsustainable land use and management practices, pollution, overgrazing, and climate change. The current rate of soil degradation threatens the capacity to meet the needs of future generations being that it is non-renewable, therefore, the promotion of sustainable soil and land management is central and should be conserved to ensuring a productive food system, improved livelihoods, and a healthy environment.

She pointed out the benefits of soil and stated that it is the basis for food, feed, fuel, medicines, fibre production, and for many critical ecosystem services. It supports biodiversity and various forms of life and supplies nutrients to plants. She went further to state that healthy soils are the basis for agriculture and it guarantee good life. It is also a major sink for carbon and soil organic matter is one of the largest reservoirs for carbon. Soil also acts as a primary filter that cleans and stores water.

She proceeded to mention how can we achieve sustainable management of soil and stated that more research should be done on soil types, adequate land use planning should be employed, appropriate inputs should be used and vehemently pointed out that generally, appropriate soil management is paramount. Dissemination of useful information also helps to achieve sustainable management of soil.

The presenter went on to talk about how soil and water are also very vital in our ecosystem. Soil water is the amount of water that enters the soil and it is derived from rainfall. The amount of water that enters the soil is a function of the soil’s texture and structure. She stated that soil water is also very important as it is essential for all life, regulates soil temperature, and is a medium for which plant nutrients are being transported. Water moves in the soil through gravitational pull, capillary action, and osmotic pressure. She discussed factors that affect soil water retention which includes soil texture; which is very important as fine textured soils have more pores that retain water, the second is organic matter; high organic matter results in high water retention. Soil density, clay type, and soil structure also affect the water-holding retention of the soil.

In her concluding remarks, Prof. Ande said that soil and water are essential to life and sustain crops, animals, and humans in general. She closed by saying “A healthy soil is important for a healthy life”.

At the end of the presentation, questions were asked and the presenter responded to them. Afterward, the Vice Chancellor of Landmark University, Prof Kolawole O. Ajanaku gave his remarks and was in full agreement with the guest speaker on the need to take care of our soils for sustainable living. This was then followed by a brief remark by the Registrar, a closing remark by the HOD Agriculture, and a vote of thanks by the Dean, College of Agricultural Sciences, Dr. O. O. Olayinka. Prior to the event, an article competition was flagged regarding the theme of the World Soil Day and those with the best articles were awarded by the Vice-Chancellor. The webinar drew its curtain at 3:30 pm with a closing prayer by Dr Obaniyi. Thereafter, a group photograph was taken to mark and celebrate the day.

Plate 1. The Director LUCRID, Dr. A. O. Dada, giving the prologue of the webinar

Plate 2: From L-R: The Dean, CAS, The Registrar, The Vice-Chancellor, Director LUCRID and The HOD Agriculture at the commencement of the webinar

Plate 3: The Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences giving the welcome address.

Plate 4: A cross-section of the on-site participants in rapt attention during the video presentation made by the CAS students in honor of the World Soil Day