Sustainable Soil and Water Resources Management in Nigeria: The Need for a Data-Driven Policy Approach
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sustainability
Abstract
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E�ective public policies are needed to manage a nation’s natural resources, including soil
and water. However, making such policies currently requires a shift from a traditional qualitative
approach to a mix of scientific data, evidence and the relevant social elements, termed data-driven
policymaking. Nigeria, like most developing countries, falls short of the framework for this approach.
Nevertheless, the lack of potable water in some regions and the continuous degradation of farmable
lands call for intervention through e�ective policy formulation and implementation. In this work,
we present a conceptual workflow as a strategic step towards developing a framework for a data-driven
soil and water resources management policy. A review of the current legal and policy framework
and selected scientific literature on soil and water resources in Nigeria is presented. Analysis of the
National Water Resources Bill proposed in 2018 is used to highlight existing gaps between policy,
scientific data and reality. Modern field techniques and project-based examples for soil and aquifer
characterization that can be adapted for local use are presented. While government must take
responsibility for the poor policy framework, the research community is challenged on the need for
scientific data as a base for e�ective policy formulation and implementation.
Keywords
QC Physics