The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a United Nations agency, has launched an innovative project to digitally map soil nutrients in sub-Saharan Africa and Central America. The project aims to increase the efficiency of fertilizer use and improve existing soil maps. This initiative promises to offer extensive benefits to policymakers, the private sector, and most importantly, farmers themselves.
Understanding Soil Mapping
Soil mapping is the systematic process of identifying natural soil bodies, classifying them into different groups, and capturing important soil property information. This information helps to illustrate the spatial distribution of different soil types on a map.
The principal advantage of soil mapping lies in its ability to enhance our understanding of the nutrient requirements of our soils and crops. This knowledge can help to reduce the wastage of fertilizers and increase their overall effectiveness.
The FAO Project: A Closer Look
The FAO’s digital soil mapping project focuses on two key regions — sub-Saharan Africa and Central America. These areas have been selected due to problems such as unsustainable agricultural practices, lack of resources, and underuse of nutrients, leading to significant soil nutrient depletion, low crop yields, and widespread poverty.
The project aims to produce national soil databases and soil information systems as public goods. These resources can then be utilized by policymakers and private sector players to generate long-term benefits. For farmers, it will improve short-term ability to respond to trends in fertilizer markets and climate dynamics without compromising output.
The Need for the Project
Agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa has been marred by a host of challenges including poor soil management practices, lack of policy frameworks regulating the soil, and inadequate capacity, knowledge, and experience required to implement sustainable soil management programs. As a result, the area’s Total Factor Productivity growth does not align with the growth experienced by other developing regions. The FAO project is seen as a solution to alleviate these issues.
About the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
The FAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations that spearheads international efforts to combat hunger. Its mission includes achieving food security for all, ensuring that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With 195 members, including 194 countries and the European Union, FAO operates in over 130 countries worldwide.
UPSC Civil Services Examination Previous Year Question (PYQ) Prelims
A recent question in the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination pertained to the nationwide ‘Soil Health Card Scheme’ and its aims. This scheme, promoted by the Department of Agriculture and Co-operation under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, provides farmers with information about the nutrient status of their soil holdings. Information on 12 key parameters including three macro-nutrients, four micro-nutrients, and physical parameters like pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), and Organic Carbon (OC) is provided. Based on this information, the Soil Health Card also recommends fertilizer use and necessary soil amendments for maintaining long-term soil health.
The primary goal behind the Soil Health Card initiative is to identify the type of particular soil and then recommend ways to improve it, thereby checking the overuse of fertilizers in farmlands.