Variation in Soil Physiochemical Properties at Different Land Use Sites in Northeastern Nigeria

The variability of some soil physiochemical properties related to land-use sites in the northern part of Taraba State, North-Eastern Nigeria, was studied to determine the extent of variation in soil-properties between land-use sites. The main purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of farmers reasons for cultivating hillslopes when there are flatland areas. Six surveyed-plots, with eight surveyed-positions, were randomly selected; one-composite sample was collected from each position over three successive measurement intervals for soil laboratory analysis. Thirteen soil-properties were analysed using the GLM procedure and the analysis of variance in SPSS release version 22. The results obtained showed a statistically insignificant difference for most soil physical properties; sand and silt, chemical properties; soil pH, TN and Base cations (Na, and Ca), suggesting the absence of effects that can be directly associated with the sites. Hence, the farmers reasons for cultivating hillslope when there are flatlands. However, differences in the distribution of soil clay-fraction, OC, P and Na between the two-sites were significantly different. These significant differences suggest two important policy implications. 1. Any intervention in soil management should be location-specific and the blanket-recommendations for fertilizer application and soil and water conservation, which is now the norm in Nigeria, should be changed. 2. The severity of soil degradation varies with the site; hence, local-level investigation is essential to design local-specific and appropriate management interventions. Hence, the study recommends that - the best practices of farmers from time immemorial, such as contour-ploughing, intercropping, use of cover crops and mulch, should be enhanced and encouraged especially for hillslope farmers. The expectations and perceptions of farmers should be integrated into future studies to provide empirical evidence of farmers preference for cultivating hillslope sites when there are flatlands.