Integrated Soil Health and Fertility Management (ISHFN) for Sustainable Food and Nutrition Security Course

At the end of the course, participant will be able to:

• Understand designing and implementing effective ISHFM programs
• Understand soil fertility concepts and factors that make a soil fertile and productive.
• Gain knowledge on how to identify soil nutrient problems and opportunities.
• Understand soil fertility enhancing strategies that maximize profits and agronomic use efficiency.
• Understand the methodologies and tools to assess suitability, economic feasibility, and impacts of ISHFM on agricultural production, soil fertility, and the environment.
• Understand how to promote ISHFM to farmers and other stakeholders.

CONTENT

Introduction to ISHFM and basic concepts

• Soil Fertility and soil health
• Physical, chemical and agronomic characteristics of soils
• Problem Soils (Saline, sodic, saline-sodic, and acid sulfate soils)
• Remedial measures and management techniques for selected problem soils

Soil Fertility Management

• Overview of nutrition and plant growth
• Diagnosis of nutrient deficiencies and corrective measures
• Organic and inorganic fertilizers
• Livestock integration
• Criteria for fertilizer recommendations
• Roles of organic matter and its maintenance
• Integrated plant nutrition systems

Soil Conservation

• Mechanics of soil erosion
• Soil erosivity and erodibility
• Maximizing on-farm recycling of nutrients
• Mechanical and biological measures for erosion control
• Tillage management

• Crop management practices

ISHFM Strategies to Maximize Profits and Agronomic Use Efficiency

• Reducing nutrient losses - blocking nutrient flows from leaving the farm
• Better management of available resources - managing internal flows of nutrients
• Improving the efficiency of nutrient uptake
• Economic considerations
• Computer-based decision support tools

Extension Techniques

• Overview of agricultural extension approaches
• Conceptual framework for agricultural extension campaign
• Extension program planning and implementation
• Farmer training

Non Agronomic Soil Components

• Support for rural credit systems
• Market-oriented institutional changes
• Improving linkages between research and extension support institutions

TRAINING METHODOLOGY

The training methodology combines lectures, discussions, group exercises and illustrations. Participants will gain both theoretical and practical knowledge of the topics. The emphasis is on the practical application of the topics and as a result participant will go back to the workplace with both the ability and the confidence to apply the techniques learned to their duties.