ADP/NPFS boss advocates for GPS system in farming

The use of Global Positioning System (GPS) in farming has been advocated for by Bassey Otu-Bassey, programme manager, Cross River State Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) and project co-ordinator, National Programme on Food Security.

The advantage of this technology over the old method of survey, compass, pole and tape, is enormous as it is more accurate in measurement, faster, easier and requires less number of people to use, Otu-Bassey says.

Speaking at a day Step Down Training for Extension Staff on Land Management held at Ikom Local Government Area of Cross River State, the ADP boss says we are in an era where agriculture is moving to the next level, and that level is in making sure that all farmers embraced commercial farming oriented method.

Otu-Bassey, who was represented by Omini Isu, director of administration, says the skill that they need to enable them achieve that is the GPS, which enables us to know the location, and it is a standard all over the world that we need to map our soil before cultivation. This is what the training workshop intend to achieve, understanding the importance of the land, the value of the land, how to put the land to proper use, which is the essence of the training.

The land is just like the human body, it has to be properly taken care of, as all the vital requirement has to be put in place, they need to know what and what is lacking in the soil, and what and what is in the soil so that you don’t overdose it or under dose it when you plant, and as such don’t get the expected yield, he says.

On the issue of pesticides, he notes: “If you don’t know the farm size that you are cultivating, you will not be able to plan properly in terms of the cost of what and what to use, the inputs in the farm that is why the GPS is very essential to a modern day farmer.”

In his lecture with the theme ‘Agricultural Land and Preparation for Good Plant Nutrition and Enhanced Crop Yield,’ by Olanrewaju Bello of the Department of Soil Science University of Calabar, says

after a careful study on land selection, land mapping is very necessary with the use of GPS to determine the topography of the land, whether suitable or unsuitable.

He notes, for instance, the steep slopes in the Southern part of the country are cultivated without any measures, saying the seasons in Cross River State are generally divided into wet and dry periods. Land, he says, should never be cleared mechanically, during the wet season as this damages the soil structure when the soil is dry, therefore it is preferable to carry out all land clearing activities before the rain.