From field to laboratory: a 5-day mission to Honduras breaks new ground in soil analysis
A five-day mission in Honduras was carried out as part of a comprehensive initiative focused on improving soil analysis capabilities and implementing soil sampling strategies and fieldwork campaigns. The project involved the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), the Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and the Dirección de Ciencia y Tecnología Agropecuaria - Secretaría de Agricultura y Ganadería (DICTA-SAG). Its primary objective ws standardize methodologies for soil sampling, ensuring the generation of reliable data crucial for agricultural and environmental applications. This mission was a component of the SoilFER project (Soil mapping for resilient agrifood systems), a unique framework designed to unlock valuable insights on soils to inform policymaking and fertilizer recommendations, both at the national and field scale.
The first day kicked off with a focused discussion on the advancements in soil laboratories. Notable improvements included the implementation of new training programs, proficiency testing, and the establishment of a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) to enhance data management and equipment procurement for national labs.
Throughout the mission, the team engaged in detailed technical discussions to reconcile various soil analysis methods. This was crucial as both SoilFER and Suelos de Honduras projects aimed to adopt unified methodologies to feed into a singular soil information system, enhancing the consistency and comparability of soil data across different projects.
A significant part of the mission involved field strategies where FAO, CIAT, CRS and DICTA teams deliberated on the design and protocols for soil sampling. This included determining the layout for soil use mapping, which categorized areas into sections like coffee, crops, pastures, and rice. These discussions were crucial in defining the sampling framework that would later guide field operations and data collection.
On the third day, the minister of Agriculture, H.E. Ms Laura Suazo, met with experts from FAO, CIAT, CRS, and DICTA to receive updates on the project's advancement. The government expressed its commitment to enhancing soil security throughout the country and showed great enthusiasm for the expected outcomes of the initiative.
Fieldwork was a major component, with teams conducting practical sampling exercises at the University of Zamorano. This hands-on approach allowed them to refine their sampling techniques, focusing on variables such as sample depth and using different tools to ensure sample integrity.
The mission culminated in a series of visits to local farms and experimental stations where the teams applied their newly refined sampling protocols, providing practical insights into the local soil conditions and highlighting the challenges and specific needs of the agricultural sectors in Honduras.
This mission represented a significant step towards collecting new soil data in Honduras to promote sustainable soil management. The collaborative effort laid the foundations for standardized soil testing methodologies and established a framework for ongoing improvements and data sharing among the involved parties. This initiative is expected to lead to better-informed agricultural practices and ultimately contribute to the sustainability and productivity of the region's agricultural sectors.