Soil Infertility:Going Back to the Basics

Despite the advancement in technology and globalisation, the world over and the intensified application of chemical fertilisers as well as the push for Genetic Modification  of seeds , the number of hungry people in the world continues to rise , with the majority  being located in Asia and Africa ,the other side of the coin is that , there are rising cases of  obesity.In different countries across Africa , the scenarios is the same characterised by food inequalities ,where one part of the country as some areas have bumper harvest and are throwing away food due to lack of markets , other areas may be suffering from famine and depend on relief food   or wild fruits to survive. As reported by the State OF World Food Security 2021, nearly one-tenth of the world population – up to 811 million people – went hungry in 2020. Furthermore, it is projected that around 660 million people may still face hunger in 2030.[1]

Kenya is an agricultural country as is the case of majority of African countries, Agriculture is key to Kenya’s economy, contributing 26 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and another 27 per cent of GDP indirectly through linkages with other sectors. The sector employs more than 40 per cent of the total population and more than 70 per cent of Kenya’s rural people[2].Majority of food producers in Kenya are women. Article 43 of the Kenyan Constitution recognises the right to food and stipulates that “Every person has the right to be free from hunger, and to have adequate food of acceptable quality[3], however the thorny question is how do we ensure a right to food and good health when soils are laced with chemicals in the name of making it productive ?.Additionally, the country continues to import food from neighbouring countries and abroad .Such include cereals from Tanzania valued at $60.8 million in 2020.[4]

Soil is the foundation upon which food is produced, when the soil is dead it means the food produced is not of the desired quality. Healthy food is pre-determined by healthy soil. Soil is the foundation upon which our food comes from. The number of Kenyans using agrochemicals on their land continues to soar. For example, in 2018, Kenya imported 17,803 tonnes of pesticides valued at Kshs 12.8 billion, these were an assortment of insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, rodenticides, growth regulators, defoliators, proteins, surfactants and wetting agents[5] .Imagine what Kshs 12.8 billion would do if it were allocated to agroecological methods of food production in Kenya.

When farmers adopt agroecological methods on their soil, it is not only cheap but also the health of their yields is assured. Agroecology is a science, a movement and a practice. Agroecology works in harmony with nature. It builds on traditional agricultural practices using research, technology and indigenous knowledge, while ensuring that farmers are in control of all aspects of food production.[6] The word agroecology comes from Latin word agro= agriculture, Eco=place/home/environment and logico=study. As defined by Gliessman apud Siliprandi (2015) “agroecology is the application of ecological principles in the design and management of sustainable agro-ecosystems”. Miguel Altieri defines agroecology as “the application of ecological science to the study, design and management of sustainable agriculture “. With agroecology scientific inquiry is combines with indigenous and community based research located on farmer’s field[7].

Adopting agroecology principles will go a long way in addressing soil health and the greatest advantage is that agroecology is a cheap way of producing food where farmers depend on inputs locally available in the farm. It is sad to note that many farmers across Africa depend on agrovets as a store for seeds and chemical fertilisers, this needs to be urgently reversed because despite the years of use of synthetic fertilisers, farmers still complain about their soil losing nutrients and not being as productive despite the tonnes of chemical pumped on the soil over the years.

Agroecology works along 7 principles which all contribute to soil health and positive biological interactions between human health, soil health and animal health resulting into enhanced biodiversity. These principles are:  Adapting to local environment; providing favourable soil conditions, Diversifying species and genetic resources, enhancing beneficial biological interactions, Minimising use and loss of water and energy, Minimising  use of non-renewable external resources and Maximising  the use of  farmers’ knowledge and skills .Agroecology not only takes care of the sol but also of the environment .For example  diverse farming systems contribute to more diverse diets for the community  thus contributing to nutrition, agroecology reduces  cost of farming  by minimising the use of expensive inputs[8].

Adapting to the local environment means farmers understanding their local environment in terms of soil, topography, types of crops to be grown and livestock to be keeps as well as which pests and diseases are rampant for a given environment. This also means that with agroecology a holistic approach is adopted in identification, analysis and resolving farm issues with minimal dependence on external resources in the form of chemical additives to the land. For example, the farmer utilises functional landscape management around the farm such as planting trees as windbreaks to prevent soil erosion. Agroecology enhances soil health and nutrient availability through increasing organic matter and biological activities in the soil. For example, applying mulch on the soil, collected from the farm prevents loss of soil moisture and at the same time prevents wind and water erosion. Planting leguminous crops also helps with nitrogen fixation to the soil.

Intercropping and planting diverse varieties on the farm not only improves nutrients but also disrupts the cycles of pests and diseases by introducing new species that the pests and disease were not accustomed to. Another example is practicing agroforestry where trees and planted together with crops helps improve soil fertility especially if the planted trees are nitrogen fixing species .Furthermore keeping livestock on the farm assures the farmer of manure from cow dung , sheep and goats  and chicken droppings  that contributes to soil fetility.Chicken , geese and ducks mix the soil contents at they search for grit , when chicken take a soil bath , scratching the soil helps turn the soil  and at the same time the chicken eat pests which would otherwise harm crops .Agroecology teaches farmers that soil is a living organism. For example, the presence of earthworms on the farm signifies soil health and biological interactions. Earthworms are responsible for making the soil soft soil when they burrow the soil taking more farm residue into their burrows, they also help mix organic matter in the soil, improve soil structure as well as water infiltration.

Agroecology enhances beneficial interactions on the soil , as opposed to use of pesticides which has toxic effects on the soil , agroecology relies on repelling properties of bio pesticides  for example use of neem extracts, garlic and turmeric because of repellent properties and pungent smell which chases away pests.Garlic , known by the scientific name Allium sativum can be used  against African bollworm, downy mildew, fruit rots, rusts and blights, African army-worm ,root knot nematodes and rice bug[9] 

Agroecological practices such as mulching help to reduce fluctuations in soil temperature and moisture, sources of mulch are readily available on the farm and include maize stalks, grass and other dry matter. Other key agroecological practices beneficial for the soil include natural nitrogen fixation through planting leguminous crops, preventing or managing pests and diseases as opposed to killing pests, integrating crops, trees, livestock to enhance recycling and productivity through biological interactions. Agroecology promotes utilisation of locally available resources   as much as possible. Agroecology also promotes biodiversity, when different species of plants and livestock are kept by the farmer, various species, some of which had been lost are brought back.

It is therefore very important to rethink how we treat soil. Soil is a living organism, from it we derive food and other economic benefits.