The PADP equally said inorganic (use of chemicals) farming practices in vogue have adverse effects on the soil and the environment generally.
This advice was given by the acting Programme Manager of the agency, Luka Kefas, in an interview with journalists in Jos, the state capital.
Kefas said, “We have a global phenomenon know as climate change. We have been advising farmers to adopt climate-smart agriculture which is about organic agriculture.
“The aim is to revive the productivity of the soil because we are aware that using chemicals is causing more harm than good to the environment.
“Organic agriculture will help us to reduce the effect of climate change on the soil,” he said.
Kefas stated that the agrochemicals used on the farms have caused serious damage to soils.
According to him, farms, where the chemical fertilizers have been applied, cannot produce without fertilizer because the chemicals have adverse effects on the micro organisms in the soil.
The Programme Manager explained that the microorganisms were living things that contribute to soil fertility.
“When you apply a chemical fertilizer before nutrients become available to the crops, it must undergo exothermic reaction which is the generation of heat.
“The heat generated destroys or kills the microorganisms.
“Therefore if we want to revive the soil back to its formal status, we must adopt organic agricultural practices.
“In organic agriculture, we don’t use chemical herbicide and insecticide,” he advised.
He said that there are organic plant extracts known as organic insecticides to control insects.
Kefas further advised farmers to use their farm waste to make compost that would be used as organic fertilizer or manure on their farms.
The programme manager urged farmers to patronise or use organic instead of inorganic fertilizers
