Arsenic in agricultural soils and implications for sustainable agriculture

The concentration of arsenic in agricultural soils has become a global challenge. Arsenic sources in soils can be both anthropogenic and natural. Certain fertilizers can introduce arsenic into the agricultural soil. For this study, soil samples from a commercial farm in southwest Nigeria were analysed using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICPMS). This study indicates that arsenic concentration in the farm land is fairly normal, with some portion of the farm having higher concentration than the WHO recommended standard limits in agricultural soils. Thus, there is need for immediate intervention to reduce the arsenic concentration in the farm site as arsenic is toxic to both human and crops alike. Measures to reduce arsenic in agricultural soils have been highlighted.