The below summary of the status of the integrated nutrient management in Asia and the Pacific region found more than 10 years ago, but the status may stay remains the same.
A. INM issues for Asian countries
Asian agriculture is under persistent pressure to narrow the gap between food supplies and demand by the ever increasing human population, aggravated by significant loss of arable land from urbanization and pollution. As a consequence of this negative trend in the food supplying capacity of the regions natural resource base, Asian countries have mainstreamed into their national policies the promotion and use of genetically improved short food crops, including livestock and fishes, as the foundation of their food security programmes. This is further enhanced and fully supported by policy support for fertilizer subsidies to encourage farmers to use more and higher rates of fertilizers to ensure high crop yields. Common barriers and root causes of the decline in agricultural land productivity and the ensuing threat to food security in Asian countries include, but are not limited to the following:
Soil mining or internal loss of soil nutrient reserves to the plant and the groundwater induced by the imbalanced use of fertilizers, mostly through the excessive use of Urea;
Poor rationalization of chemical fertilizer importation to ensure easy access to appropriate, suitable and affordable fertilizer grades. In most cases, the importation and supply of Urea exceeded phosphates and potash;
Inadequate understanding and absence of dedicated national programmes for organic-based fertilization and balanced fertilization based on a sound soil testing programme;
Policy support for short maturing, high yield varieties (hybrid) without appropriate integrated nutrient management practices to avert the incidence of soil mining and soil/water degradation;
Fertilizer subsidies that are not based on the soil and plant nutrient needs of the country;
High population and rapid urbanization and declining man-arable land ratio; and
Global oil issues and uncontrolled increases in the price of chemical fertilizers.
B. INM issues for Pacific Island countries
Pacific Island countries, in contrast to their Asian counterparts, have dedicated much of their agricultural development to serving the needs of farm families and are built around the organization and success of a network of home gardens. In contrast to the capital intensive character of Asian agriculture, agricultural development in the Pacific Island countries is basically based on low external input, small-scale farming systems, supported by traditional and indigenous technologies. They are largely dedicated to home self-reliance composed of networks of small home gardens generally using simple tools and indigenous technologies to serve farm family needs and local markets. Compared to the predominance of chemical fertilizers in the more advanced Asian countries, farmers in the Pacific Islands are mainly dependent on natural fertilizer sources, recycling crop residues and natural soil fertility. Some island countries have started to experience the pressures of increasing population and rapid urbanization and declining land availability per capita, which in the long-term could become a major barrier to a long-term, sustainable agricultural development programme for food security. Increasing areas of sloping farmlands are contributing to a higher incidence of erosion and long-term loss of land productivity of scarce arable lands, particularly in coastal areas. Common issues in nutrient management and barriers to food security in Pacific Island countries, because of the very nature of small backyard or home gardens, are listed below, to wit:
The natural ecological convergence of upland agriculture with coastal agriculture and fishery areas justify the unique and critical role of soil erosion control and management in developing an inter-landscape transboundary INM strategy for a watershed-wide soil fertility management programme;
Dependence on natural soil fertility and natural fertilizer sources and traditional plants and varieties;
Soil erosion resulting from decreasing fallow periods, subsistence farming and increasing human demand for land and food;
Land use policy that protects scarce agricultural lands is in important consideration in the formulation of food security increasing population;
While low external inputs and multi-cropped home gardens, characterized by natural nutrient recycling and low nutrient demands, result in low food outputs, they help farmers preserve native soil nutrient reserves; and
Declining man-arable land ratio due to increased population and urbanization.
Three kinds of stakeholders and the manner in which information and substantive contents should be packaged and delivered.
For the farmers:
Provision and packaging of appropriate and farmer-friendly extension materials (sketches and drawing illustration techniques, conduct of pilot on-farm demonstrations, preparation of easy-to-read soil fertility maps/charts, fertilizer recommendation charts, etc.);
Establishment and promotion of Farmer Field Schools for community-based learning and development of Soil Doctors (adopted from Thailand’s experience) to facilitate farmer-tofarmer exchanges of knowledge and acquired technologies; and
Elaboration and proper communication of monetary and environmental benefits of IPNS.
For the decision-makers:
Mainstreaming of principles of nutrient management and elaboration of environmental and economic benefits derived from sound IPNS. This includes the preparation of policy briefs and position papers to elaborate the substantive economic and environmental benefits of adopting IPNS;
Illustration of IPNS benefits through presentation of national nutrient balance analysis;
Conduct of pilot techno-demos to showcase the impact of IPNS on yield increases supported by simple audience-friendly graphic illustrations of environmental benefits, and cost/return analysis;
Brief on both positive and negative scenarios of IPNS adoption to address poverty and food security and long-term sustainable development; and
Conduct and preparation of briefing materials on the environmental impacts of sound nutrient management practices.
For support institutions and change agents:
Review of the extension approach (number of extension agents, extension methods);
Promotion of the adoption of participatory approaches by all stakeholders (NGOs, the private sector, industry, researchers, academics, etc.);
Provision of knowledge management to support IPNS networking (model, knowledge, scenario, scientific document); and
Dr. Yuji Niino
The below summary of the status of the integrated nutrient management in Asia and the Pacific region found more than 10 years ago, but the status may stay remains the same.
A. INM issues for Asian countries
Asian agriculture is under persistent pressure to narrow the gap between food supplies and demand by the ever increasing human population, aggravated by significant loss of arable land from urbanization and pollution. As a consequence of this negative trend in the food supplying capacity of the regions natural resource base, Asian countries have mainstreamed into their national policies the promotion and use of genetically improved short food crops, including livestock and fishes, as the foundation of their food security programmes. This is further enhanced and fully supported by policy support for fertilizer subsidies to encourage farmers to use more and higher rates of fertilizers to ensure high crop yields. Common barriers and root causes of the decline in agricultural land productivity and the ensuing threat to food security in Asian countries include, but are not limited to the following:
B. INM issues for Pacific Island countries
Pacific Island countries, in contrast to their Asian counterparts, have dedicated much of their agricultural development to serving the needs of farm families and are built around the organization and success of a network of home gardens. In contrast to the capital intensive character of Asian agriculture, agricultural development in the Pacific Island countries is basically based on low external input, small-scale farming systems, supported by traditional and indigenous technologies. They are largely dedicated to home self-reliance composed of networks of small home gardens generally using simple tools and indigenous technologies to serve farm family needs and local markets. Compared to the predominance of chemical fertilizers in the more advanced Asian countries, farmers in the Pacific Islands are mainly dependent on natural fertilizer sources, recycling crop residues and natural soil fertility. Some island countries have started to experience the pressures of increasing population and rapid urbanization and declining land availability per capita, which in the long-term could become a major barrier to a long-term, sustainable agricultural development programme for food security. Increasing areas of sloping farmlands are contributing to a higher incidence of erosion and long-term loss of land productivity of scarce arable lands, particularly in coastal areas. Common issues in nutrient management and barriers to food security in Pacific Island countries, because of the very nature of small backyard or home gardens, are listed below, to wit:
Three kinds of stakeholders and the manner in which information and substantive contents should be packaged and delivered.
For the farmers:
For the decision-makers:
For support institutions and change agents:
Reference: http://www.fao.org/3/a-ag120e.pdf