Biological crop protection as a climate adaptation pathway for environmental restoration and food security in Nigeria

Climate change increasingly threatens agricultural productivity and food security in Nigeria through rising temperatures, rainfall variability, flooding, desertification, pest outbreaks, and soil degradation. This study synthesizes empirical evidence on biological crop protection as a climate adaptation pathway for environmental restoration and food security in Nigeria using a scoping review guided by Arksey and O'Malley and reported in accordance with PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews). A structured search across Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and gray literature identified 92 empirical studies published between 2000 and 2025 that met predefined ecological and food security criteria. The findings show that practices including legume intercropping, rhizobium inoculation, organic soil management, and push-pull systems improve soil carbon by 22%-38%, increase yield stability by 18%-64%, and reduce pest incidence by more than 50% across multiple agroecological zones. These biological mechanisms strengthen nutrient cycling, improve soil moisture regulation, enhance ecological pest suppression, and reduce dependence on synthetic agricultural inputs under climate stress conditions. The synthesis further demonstrates that biological crop protection contributes to productivity stabilization, environmental restoration, and improved household food access while supporting resource-use efficiency in smallholder farming systems. The study concludes that biological crop protection represents an integrated agroecological adaptation pathway with significant implications for climate-resilient agriculture, sustainable food production, and the advancement of Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2, 13, and 15 in Nigeria.