Scientific Papers Series Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and Rural Development Vol. 16, Issue 4, 2016 PRINT ISSN 2284-7995, E-ISSN 2285-3952 317 CONSCIENTIOUS MANAGEMENT OF SOIL HUMUS AND WATER: A MAJOR CONDITION FOR PURPOSEFUL MECHANISATION OF FIELD CROP HUSBANDRY IN TROPICAL RAIN FOREST OF NIGERIA Paul O. SIMEON, Hemen E. JIJINGI, Shianya A. NGABEA Federal University Wukari, Department of Soil Science and Land Resources Management, Department of Food Science and Technology, P.M.B 1020, Wukari, Taraba State, Postal Code 67001, Nigeria, Phones: +2348062536780, +2348069451802, +2348024567172, Emails: posimeon@yahoo.com, hijijingihemen@live.com, shianyaaudu@yahoo.com; Corresponding author: posimeon@yahoo.com Abstract Machinery and implements used in agricultural product/on work in media of lives - the soil, livestock and crops. Certain features of these media determine the possibility and extent of mechanization of works relating to them. In the tropical rain forest areas, mechanization remains the greatest obstacle to the expansion of production and therefore constitute great problem to food and primary raw materials supply. This paper highlights the problems, discusses the problems as well as the correlating factors and the possibilities of improving on the level of mechanization in view of the present technological and socio- economic development of the peoples of tropical rain forest areas of Nigeria. The work is an original scholarly research based on review of relevant publications and visit to several locations within the Tropical Rain forest belt. The results reveal inadequacies managerial skills and in appropriate deployment of technical staff as well as poor education as major factors for the insufficient understanding of the soil-machine-crop-climate relationship which is the bedrock for conscientious planning and execution of mechanization. The paper is aimed at drawing the attentions of the relevant authorities charged with ensuring adequate availability and supply of food and raw materials for the populace and the industries to the need to purposeful mechanization. The paper ends by making some practicable recommendations and warning of the dangers of not mechanizing farm production as well as the implications of failure of mechanized farm projects in the tropical rain forest zones. Key words: husbandry, mechanization, soil, tropical rain forest, water INTRODUCTION It has been observed that ‘‘without soil there can be no agriculture and without agriculture in our present state of knowledge, the world cannot be fed” [7]. The food must be satisfactory both in quantity and quality. It has been evaluated on the basis of studies by FAQ [11] specialists that a great part of the world population is under-nourished considering the fact that the food does not correspond qualitatively, being poor in Protein, especially the protein of animal origin [28]. In view of the above, it became apparently necessary to take series of measures to address the problems. Principally among the measures are: (i)To increase production per unit surface area (hectare) or per head of animal; and (ii)To increase the total surface area cultivated. However, the ever-increasing population of the world and the limit in the size of the land that can be made available for agriculture led to the present basic tendency in agriculture which includes maximum utilization of the production capabilities of both land and the biological materials [26]. The single most important factor that can simultaneously facilitate the expansion of the surface area cultivated as well as the number of animals and the intensification of production per unit surface area (hectare) and per head of reproductive animal, respectively, is high degree of mechanization. However, there are other measures such as genetic improvement, expansion of use of chemicals, improved training or education of agricultural workers, expansion of irrigation and drainage, boosting of soil humus content, etc., which