Developing Soil Fertility Management Guidelines for Smallholder Sorghum Farmers in Sokoto State, North West Nigeria

This study develops evidence-based soil fertility management guidelines for smallholder sorghum producers in Sokoto State, located in Nigeria's North West geopolitical zone. Sorghum is the primary food crop for rural households in Sokoto State, and declining soil fertility driven by continuous cropping without adequate nutrient inputs is the most significant constraint on productivity. Using a professional practice design, composite soil samples were collected from 50 smallholder sorghum farms across Gwadabawa, Kware, and Bodinga local government areas and analysed for pH, organic carbon, nitrogen, available phosphorus, and exchangeable cations. These data were matched with standardised farmer yield surveys and input use records to establish the relationship between current fertility status and productivity gaps. Fertiliser response trials were established on eight representative farms covering lime, NPK, phosphorus-only, and nitrogen-only treatments. Extension officers and agricultural development programme staff were interviewed about current recommendation delivery systems and adoption barriers. Findings revealed critical phosphorus deficiency on 78 percent of farms and pH below 6.0 on 65 percent, yet liming is virtually absent from current farming practice. Nitrogen alone, as currently promoted, was insufficient to overcome productivity limitations. The study proposes a graduated soil fertility management guideline tailored to three socioeconomic farmer strata based on input access and resource endowment, incorporating lime, organic matter, and balanced fertiliser recommendations. Recommendations include integration of the guidelines into the Agricultural Development Programme extension curriculum and community-based input procurement schemes for Sokoto State. Keywords: soil fertility guidelines, sorghum, smallholder, Sokoto State, extension.