Healthier soils
ICRISAT Annual Report in 2018
ACID SOILS OF EASTERN INDIA
Soil health mapping of 37,500 samples from farmers’ fields across 30 districts of India’s state of Odisha found over 90% soils to be acidic and over 80% deficient in boron.
Redress: Over 4,000 soil test-based nutrient management demonstrations were conducted and crop-specific nutrient doses prescribed to build healthier soils.
Partners: Government of Odisha and non-governmental organizations.
Related story: Soil health scheme for farmers in Odisha – to benefit 4.35 million farmers in 30 districts
RESTORING DEGRADED LANDS, IMPROVING LIVELIHOODS IN NIGER
Impoverished soils are the bane of the African Sahel.
Redress: A combination of soil and water conservation technologies, fencing, farmer associations, sharing of plots with women and training on cropping enabled 11,970 women in 197 villages in Niger to reclaim 175 ha of degraded land, earning them revenue ranging from US$ 1,800 - 4,420/ha, about 9 to 22 times more than the traditional system.
Partners: INRAN, PRODAF, ONG-REFORME, INERA, REGIS-ER
Related publication: Bado BV and Bationo A. (2018). Integrated Management of Soil Fertility and Land Resources in Sub-Saharan Africa: Involving Local Communities. Advances in Agronomy (TSI), 150. pp. 1-33. ISSN 00652113
GAME OF SLOPES IN EASTERN AFRICA
Why does land fertility response to fertilizer input vary in any given area in the highlands of Ethiopia resulting in significant yield differences?
Redress: Studies revealed fertilizer response decreases with increasing slope due to decrease in soil organic carbon, clay and soil water content. Yield on foot slopes are up to three times higher than that on hillslopes.
Partners: GIZ-ISFM+ Ethiopia, Africa RISING-Feed the Future and Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research.
Related story: Breathing life into dying soils in harsh landscapes of the Ethiopian Highlands
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