Government launches national soil health drive to promote smarter fertiliser use

The government has launched a national soil health drive aimed at helping Kenyan farmers make more informed fertiliser choices and improve crop yields through soil testing.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Sen. Mutahi Kagwe launched the initiative, dubbed Soilfer, at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) Kabete, where he also unveiled the National Soil Partnership, the National Soil Laboratory Network and the national rollout of the Global Soil Doctors Programme.

The CS also handed over refurbished KALRO Soil Chemistry Laboratories, upgraded at a cost of Sh220 million, as part of efforts to improve access to timely soil testing services.

Kagwe warned farmers that subsidised fertiliser could still amount to a wasted investment if it is applied to soil that does not require the nutrients contained in the product.

“A bag of the wrong fertiliser, delivered on time, at half the price, to the wrong soil, is still the wrong fertiliser,” Kagwe said. “Subsidy without a soil test is sympathy. It is not strategy.”

The CS drew on his own farming experience to illustrate the importance of soil testing, saying he had previously bought fertiliser based on what was commonly used by farmers in his area.

He said a subsequent soil test revealed that he had been adding nutrients that were already present in his soil while failing to supply nutrients that were deficient.

“I was not farming. I was gambling. I was farming blind,” Kagwe said.

Drawing from his previous experience as Health Cabinet Secretary, Kagwe compared soil testing to medical diagnosis, saying farmers should not be expected to apply fertiliser without first understanding the condition of their soils.

He said about 63 percent of Kenya’s arable land is acidic, with nearly seven million acres classified as strongly acidic. In such areas, he warned, applying fertiliser without first addressing soil acidity can result in farmers spending more without achieving the expected yields.

The government plans to use the new soil health programme to make fertiliser subsidies more targeted. More than eight million farmers are registered on the Kenya Integrated Agricultural Management Information System (KIAMIS), while more than 180,000 bags of subsidised fertiliser were moved daily through National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) stores and registered outlets at the height of the planting season, Kagwe said.

He said the next step was to ensure that the inputs reaching farmers are matched to their soil requirements.

KALRO has been directed to continue analysing about 77,000 soil samples collected from 45 counties and publish county-level soil fertility maps that farmers and other stakeholders can use.

The Ministry of Agriculture and KALRO will also work towards linking soil test results to KIAMIS, allowing future subsidy support to reflect the specific nutrient requirements of individual farms.

Kagwe said the refurbished Kabete laboratory would help reduce the time required to process soil samples, stressing that farmers need results before planting decisions are made.

“A soil result that arrives after the rains have come is a historical document, not a farming decision,” he said.

The National Soil Partnership will bring together national and county governments, KALRO, universities and the private sector to coordinate soil health initiatives and share information.

Meanwhile, the National Soil Laboratory Network will establish common testing standards, while the Global Soil Doctors Programme will train farmers to understand their soils and share knowledge within their communities.

Kagwe urged county governments to co-finance soil testing and make the services more accessible to farmers. He also called for increased use of lime in acidic soils and restoration of organic matter.

He further warned that the government would continue its crackdown on counterfeit, expired and substandard agricultural inputs, saying soil testing would have limited value if farmers ultimately received products whose contents did not match their labels.