A Professor of Plant Ecology at the University of Ibadan, Professor Rasheed Olufemi Awodoyin, has warned that when this generation cuts all the trees for money, the coming generation may need to buy oxygen with the money.
He sounded this warning while delivering the 585th Inaugural Lecture of the University of Ibadan on behalf of the Faculty of Agriculture.
The title of the lecture was “After Plants, It is Plants."
Professor Awodoyin stated that the survival of human beings and that of many of the world's other species will probably depend on the willingness and ability of the humans to undergo agricultural changes that will involve the use of their knowledge and technology to work with nature, rather than work against it, in order to arrest the current degradations that are devastating various regions of the globe.
According to him, the earth is a plant-based planet, and the nudity of the soil is covered by plants and various vegetation, with trees covering the forests and grasses covering the savannah.
He noted that human interaction with plants starts in the cradle and continues until a man's passage into the grave with plants giving man food, medicines, clothing and housing, but sadly, unregulated removal of the earth's cover has resulted in its exposure with devastating effects on its inhabitants.
The Don explained that human beings have been given the duty and leadership to safeguard the planet and everything on it, saying that the dominion given to man was not aimed at exterminating other creatures, but to protect them for his use now and pass them over to the coming generations.
Asserting that humans have the responsibility for a sustainable use of the earth's resources, he advocated a sustainable health of the earth through restoration and inclusion of plants in various crop production activities through afforestation, reforestation, improved fallow management, green manuring, mulching, agroforestry, agroecology and improved bush fallow.
Professor Awodoyin stated that to mitigate the impacts of the industrial revolution on the ecosystem, human perception should shift from an industrial view of capturing nature to aligning with nature through a series of sustainable earth societies to sustain the earth's life-support system for humans and other species.
He said that humans must use their ingenuity to manage various resources, especially the potentially renewable resources, to reduce degradation and ensure sustainable yield.
The inaugural lecturer charged the present generation to look back into the realm of indigenous knowledge and bring identified sustainable and productive practices to the forefront of agricultural research.
He opined that threats to the natural ecosystem are avoidable if ecological considerations are prioritised in the economic planning/strategy, calling for sincere compliance with environmental impact assessment as a practical solution to reduce the threats and protect the ecosystem for sustainable development.
Professor Awodoyin advised that consistent efforts must be made to promote ecological organic agriculture to integrate ecological principles into the agricultural production system to protect the agroecosystem and produce wholesome food products that will promote health and wellness.
He explained that in addressing the pressing global environmental challenges and crises, including climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution as well as desertification, land and soil degradation, drought and deforestation, it is imperative to intensify efforts in fulfilling our global environmental and biodiversity commitments.
The Don disclosed that the demand for plant-based industrial raw materials has increased. Therefore, efforts should be intensified on research aimed at expanding the utility of plants for current and future uses.
He advocated an integration of nitrogen-fixing legumes into the cropping system which will take advantage of 90% of the nitrogen fixed into the ecosystem to reduce synthetic nitrogen fertiliser input into the agroecosystem, increase the organic matter content of the soil and enhance the quality of the food that humans consume.
The Inaugural Lecture was the eighth in the series for the 2024/2025 academic session.
DIRECTORATE OF PUBLIC COMMUNUCATION
