It takes over 500 years for topsoil to be restored if destroyed as such, Ghanaians are urged to desist from activities that erode the topsoil.
This advice is from an Associate Professor at the Department of Crop Science at the University of Cape Coast, Prof. Michael Osei-Adu who says due to human activities such as deforestation, overgrazing, and intensive agriculture, the topsoil is being eroded at an alarming rate.
“So, imagine that we have this area and within one rainfall, the soil is washed away, the topsoil which contains the biodiversity, the bacteria, the protozoa, the fungi, the nutrients, the organic matter, and the carbon, everything that is for agriculture and for our survival, for the ecosystem services, is washed away, within one day. If it is washed away, it could take over 500 years. Some even estimate 1000 years for one inch for that topsoil to be restored.” he continued.
According to him, topsoil is the uppermost layer of soil, which is crucial for plant growth and provides essential nutrients to crops.
Prof. Michael Osei-Adu indicated that stakeholders need to take urgent action against human activities that degrade the soil.
SPEAKING on ATL FM’s ATLANTIC WAVE, he said “Climate change is making us more vulnerable. The weather is becoming drier, bushfires and other things. So, it means that we need to be more concerned about the degradation of our environment in terms of landslide and erosion currently more than we’ve ever been.”
On his part, a senior lecturer at the Department of Agricultural Engineering at the University of Cape Coast, Dr. Kumi Francis who spoke on building projects and protecting topsoil called for a new approach to training engineers.
Dr. Kumi notes that the current engineering programmes often focus too heavily on technical knowledge and not enough on sustainable practices.
“But to do some of these things we are talking about plants; and how to ensure the plants survive. It is important to make sure you do it in a way like a landscape building which takes some level of expertise” he said.
He explained that an engineer is not just trained to design, calculate and build structures but he needs to consider how to make the structures sustainable for its inhabitants.
“So, these are the dynamics. And we have to look at it from an educational point of view and we also have to look at it from the professional point of view” he said.
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Source: Enock Chanimbe/ATLFMNEWS
