Soil Fertility Mapping and Fertilizer blending

17th November, 2015

Behailu Kassahun

22

BackgroundEthiopian Soil Health constraints

Content

The Need for Soil Information System

Why Fertility Mapping

The Establishment of EthioSIS

Fertilizer Blending Initiatives

Current partners and update

Soil Survey approach and achievement to date

3

Soil Erosion

3

• Soil erosion and land degradation are major causes for low productivity andvulnerability of smallholders

• Annual soil loss from cultivated landsis about 42 tons ha-1

• Soil erosion reduce crop production upto 30% (Pimentel,2003)

4

Soil Erosion

4

• 16-50 % of the seasonal rainfall goes as a runoff

• Gully erosion decreases the land connectivityfragmentation

5

Nutrient depletion

5

• Nutrient Export: Cow dung and stover are sold for energy source

• loss of P and N resulting from the use of dungand crop residues for fuel is equivalent to thetotal amount of commercial fertilizer use(PIF,2010)

6

Seasonally waterlogged soils

6

• Of the country’s @12m ha Vertisols, about 7m ha arefound in the highlands and their productivityconstrained by waterlogging.

7

Soil acidity

7

• Strong Soil acidity affects @28.1% of the entirecountry. .

• @ 43% of the agricultural land in the three highpotential regions is affected by acidity (mostly inhighlands)

N biological fixation becomes no longer possible in acidic soils

8

Salt affected soils

8

• About 1.5 m ha of fertile valley bottom soils areaffected by salinity

• The problem increasing in connection withexpansion of irrigation owing to poor on farmwater management

Awash river basin

9

Existing national soil maps in Ethiopia are obsolete with limited soil fertility information and need to be updated using contemporary technologies and analysis

Ethiopian soil map by FAO/UNESCO, 1984

The world soil map was published in 1970s by FAO andUNESCO at a resolution of 1:5M, which was thenfocused to 1:2M for Ethiopia by 1984

The soil map is based on soil surveys conducted in the1930s to 1970s

The map is generated using soil information andtechnology from the 1960s - spatial informationtechnologies were not used

Extracted for Ethiopia at a scale of 1:2M from the world soil map of FAO/UNESCO

10

Several soil studies has been conducted by different institutions and projects pre-EthioSIS, however there is no central data warehouse where soil information can beaccessed in a systematic manner

Pre-EthioSIS soil tests conducted

• Woody Biomass

• Soil type and soil classification

• Soil conservation research project

• National fertilizer input unit trial

• Soil tests

• Basin specific master plan studies

• Soil tests• Soil tests• Semi detail and detail

studies by federal and regional WWDSE

• Etc….

• A study on natural vegetation inventory, soil and other natural resource by the MoA

• a study mainly focused on soil classification by FAO• Is also one of the big projects mainly concentrated on

the soil conservation

• Mainly focused on fertilizer test

• Also conducted soil tests in different places by research institutions in their areas of work

• Natural resource inventory , Soil testing was also conducted by Ministry of water, irrigation and energy

• Regional soil testing center has also conducted soil testing though it was so limited in volume

• Higher learning institutions were also part of the soil testing across the country.

• Feasibility study of small and medium scale Irrigation scheme

• 1990-2000

• 1986

• Between 1980 and 1990’s

• …to date

Type of studies Objectives Year of study

11

Past approaches of fertilizer usage need to be revised to significantly increase smallholder farmers productivity

Source: CSA; Agricultural Sample Survey 2003/04-11,

13 13 14 15 16 16 17 18

08/09 09/1007/0806/0705/0604/0503/04 10/11

22 2534 36 39 35 34

44

04/05 05/0603/04 08/09 10/1106/07 07/08 09/10

Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)

2003/04-10/11

≈ 10%

2003/04-10/11

≈ 5%

Total cereal yieldQt/ht from 2003/04-2010/11

Total fertilizer applied for cereal crop (DAP and Urea )0000’ tones from 2003/04-2010/11

Source: CSA; Agricultural Sample Survey 2003/04-11,

Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)

12

For the past four to five decades, fertilizer consumption in the country is limited toDAP and Urea that supply N and P only. Blanket fertilizer applicationrecommendations regardless of differences in crop need, soil types and agro-ecology

The average amount nutrients added as fertilizer are 10.4 and 10.8tons of N and P2O5 per 1000 ha, respectively

SOURCE: Team analysis, FAOSTAT, 2010

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240

100 kg/ha

14

13

12

11

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

20

19

18

17

16

15

DAP

UREA

13

The need for developing national soil information database and soil fertility mapping has been based on detail diagnostic study and developing national strategy framework in order to address key systematic bottlenecks.

14

This systematic problem lead to the establishment of EthioSIS projects and other follow up initiatives

Mapping

• Launch Digital Soil mapping (Grid and soil fertility )

Validation

• New fertilizer demonstration activities

Results• Urgent need to supply blended fertilizer to small holders has been identified hence

decision to establish Fertilizer Blending Plants

15

There are seven components that come together to form the Ethiopian SoilInformation System (EthioSIS)

SOURCE: Team analysis

Gathers soil samples based on a gridded

approach and conducts various

types of field analysis

Works with various stakeholders including EthioSIS project teams,

donors, development partners and thought partners

The Output generation unit is an area where scientific expertise and capacity building from international partners will be vital

7

Stakeholder support

1

Soil sample gathering

Logs, dries and grinds soil samples

gathered, distributing to labs for spectral

analysis/wet chemistry as appropriate

Soil processing

Conducts spectral and wet

chemistry analyses to

understand the physical

characteristics and nutrient

levels within the soil

Laboratory analysis

Translates the results from lab

analysis to usable outputs;

manages the National Soils

Database

Output generation

Archives soil samples

collected during the gathering

process for future analysis

Soil library

Creates information distribution solutions,

through internet and other

customer/user interfaces

Information distribution

2 3 4 5 6

16

These components will be connected by physical soil as well as data flows

17

State-of-the-art technologies are used to analyze soil samples, store and retrieve data

Infrared (IR) spectroscopy and LDPSD analysis Wet-chemistry analysis using instruments having high detection limits

Field and laboratory data are being stored in the MoA server

Soil samples are being archived in Kality soil library

Analyzing soils using light (IR)

Rapid analysis method

Analyzing soils using chemical solutions

Process is much slowerthan spectral analysis but helps for calibration

SOURCE: Team analysis;

1818

EthioSIS surveyors have traveled to 59 CPs and 474 woredas of the country to collect ~100,000 soil samples .

19

Mobile/tablets assisted data collection is being implemented

Pre-field activates (Design) Feed-in Pre-defined points

On field activity (Collect and send to server) Post field activity (Retrieve, Clean and DB) Update• http://www.moa-

formhub.gov.et/atasoils/

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• Sampling design adopts stratified grid sampling skewed to agricultural land (80% cultivated and 20% on potential agri land)

• Top soil: (0 -20 cm) vs (0-50cm)

• Systematically nine sub-plots composited to capture variability

• Geo- referenced

• Soil samples are all scanned in the field to track movement from field to lab and archiving

• Slope, Topography

• Land management History

• Land use/ land Cover

• Crop growing

• Local soil naming

• Soil color• Crop residue management

Example: Argoba Woreda in Amhara regionField Data and Soil Samples Collection Protocol

Sampling design

2121SOURCE: Team analysis

Woreda Soil Fertility Mapping

Soil Mapping Approaches

• Sampling design adopts stratified grid sampling Skewed more towards agricultural land (80%/ 20%)

• Stratification made b/n agricultural and non –agricultural lands

• To keep 80% and 20% proportion b/n cultivated land and potential agri land, land use land cover classification made prior to field inventory (manual process)

• The type of sampling is top soil composite sampling from nine sub-plots.

• In principle soil sample size for woredas varies b/n 80 to 250

• Soil samples are all scanned in the field to track their movement from field to labs

• Relevant geo-referenced field data are collected from each sampling points

• Basically field data are collected by digital format using Samsung mobile phones/tablets and hard copy.

Soil resource mapping Soil fertility mapping

Sampling frame work

Each 10 by 10 km sampling site is divided into randomly assigned clusters for soil sample collection.

10 x 10 km site with sampling clusters

Soil mapping is based on two approaches: Confluence Point based Soil Resource Mapping and Woreda Soil Fertility Mapping

2222

Confluence Point based and Woreda Soil Fertility Mapping Soil Sampling Design

2323

We have achieved soil collection from 59 CP’s. Various challenges have curtailed full performance that will be addressed in the future

• CPs are generated systematically on Lat and Long intersection points with 1 ˚ interval grids (81 cps are identified country wide)

• Each 10 by 10 km sampling site or blocks is divided into randomly assigned clusters for soil sample collection.

• The sampling design with in the blocks follows a non-stratified randomized sampling

• The type of soil sampling is composite sampling from four sub-sampling points divided in to top and sub-soil

• Soil sample is collected for cu-mass and wet chemistry analysis with a size of 800 and 320 respectively

• In addition to field data and vegetation measurement , surface soil infiltration test measurement conducted by single ring method

Soil Resource Mapping

2424

We have achieved soil collection only at 59 CP’s. Various challenges have curtailed full performance that will be addressed in the future

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To date, 440 woredas and 59 CP survey is completed that forms the basis of nutrient deficiencies prediction at country level

Confluence point soil survey status

• Confluence point approaches for soil resource mapping

• Ethiopia has 97 confluence points of latitude andlongitude lines

Status of soil fertility survey (at 31 August 2015)

• Woreda level soil fertility mapping & fertilizerrecommendation

• 49,000 soil samples are collected to date

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Preliminary soil fertility map and fertilizer types prediction has been developed for thecountry; this is subjected to change as the number of data captured increased

Preliminary Fertility Mapping and Fertilizer Recommendation

• First draft fertilizer recommendation suggests51.11% coverage of NPSBZn and 40.95 % of NPKSBZn

Quara Woreda Fertilizer Types Recommendation

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Using geo-statistical approach soil fertility mapping and fertilizer recommendationsare being developed. Tigray region soil fertility status map and fertilizerrecommendation is completed

Soil Fertility Status of Tigray Region Fertilizer Type Requirement of Tigray Region

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Blended Fertilizer Requirement by Woreda

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Many African countries have already developed fertilizer blending plants; most use Compound fertilizers

Legend:

Existing blending plants and use complex fertilizers

GuineaBissau

Niger

Chad Sudan

Tunisia

Algeria

Mali

LibyaEgypt

Mauritania

Morocco

Western Sahara

Nigeria

Ben

in

Togo

BurkinaGh

ana

Ivory Coast

Guinea

Senegal

Liberia

Sierra Leone

Gambia

Ethiopia

Djibouti

Eritrea

Uganda Somalia

Kenya

CameroonC.A.Republic

Congo

Gabon

Equatorial Guinea

Democratic Rep. of Congo

Tanzania

ZambiaAngola

Mozambique

MadagascarZimbabwe

Botswana

Namibia

Swaziland

LesothoSouthAfrica

Malawi

BurundiRwanda

São Tomé e Principe

Countries with blending or compound fertilizer plants in Africa

Source: AfricaFertilizer.org; WB-ARD; IFPRI; Media; FAO – Fertilizer and Plant Nutrition Bulletin

S.Sudan

Comoros

Fertilizer blending is a special type of fertilizer mixing, where blends are prepared by the mechanical mixing of two or more granular materials of fairly uniform size and density in defined proportions. It originated in the USA and now dominates the fertilizer market in many areas.

Often, a farmer has a bulk blend prepared according to the soil test report of the particular farm – a tailor-made, ready-to-use mixture. The main advantages to the farmers are:• Nutrients are supplied in ratios to suit the

needs of particular soils and crops• The cost per unit of plant nutrient is

generally low• The cost of transportation and spreading

is low because of the high analysis of bulk blends.

Wh

at is

it?

Wh

at a

re it

s ad

van

tage

s?

No blending plants, but consume compound fertilizers Mauritius

Seychelles

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5. Establishment of Fertilizer Blending Plants

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• Five Fertilizer blending plants are currently in operation

• Capacity= 100,000 Mt per plant

31

As the need for blended fertilizer become essential, ATA and its partners determinedto provide local capacity to blend individual compound fertilizer to address the issueof nutrient deficiency.

Five Fertilizer blending plants are established for production of tailored blended fertilizers based on fertilizer requirements made

1. Becho Woliso (Tulu Bolo)

2. Gibe Dedessa (Nekemte)

3. Endera (Mekele)

4. Merkebe (Bahir Dar)

5. Melik ( Worabe)

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5. Establishment of Fertilizer Blending Plants

Key ingredients

N

P

S

K

Zn

B

Urea

DAP

Ammonium sulfate

MOP

Iron /Zinc Sulfate

Borax

NPS com-pound

Sourcing of ingredients

2%

2%

4%

92%

Volume

Local sourcing would reduce exposure to price fluctuations on the international market,

ultimately benefiting the farmer

• By far, NPS compound will be the main ingredient for the blending facilities (more than 90% of the volume needed for blends)

• MOP, Zinc Sulfate and Borax will represent a smaller fraction of the ingredient bulk, but a more expensive one (on a per unit basis)

• Since blending operations are fairly simple,effective sourcing is the key factor to ensure a reasonable selling price for the farmer

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EthioSIS is developing an appropriate ICT system to capture and disseminate criticalsoil information.

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Partners in the implementation of EthioSIS includes but not limited

WU-CASCAPE-Altera

UN-FAO

Yara

OCP

Hawassa/Haramaya University

AfSIS

Technical support (IT and Geo-statistics) and funding

Training of geo-statisticians (finance)

International Laboratory support in soil samples analysis

Soil fertility mapping and new fertilizer demonstrations

Soil mapping research.

Technological platform

Federal and regional institutions

Leadership, commitment and project support

AGP/AMDeCo-funding one fertilizer blending facility and providing capacitybuilding for staff and management of the five plants.

ICL Soil fertility mapping and new fertilizer demonstrations

Innovations to help our country grow