The Esan Plateau is made up of diverse vegetation, savannah in the north and forest in the south. Where deforestation has occurred, elephant grass and secondary growth take over. The soil is clayey or of porous red sand. Oil palm and rubber grow reasonably well. The Benin Lowlands used to be covered with a vast rain forest, but rubber plantations have displaced a lot of the original forests.
Soil types range from low productive sand in the southeast to fertile clayey soil in the northwest.
The riverine communities in the south have mainly mangrove swamp vegetation. The main crops are rubber, oil palm, cocoa, yam, cassava, maize, rice and plantain. Fruit like pineapples, coconuts, oranges, avocados, as well as green leafy vegetables, all grow abundantly in the State. There is also a significant animal husbandry industry, with cows, goats, pigs, rabbits and sheep being the main products. Edo State's riverine areas are prime areas for aquaculture projects.