Thousands of peasant farmers across Embu County are confident of improved yields after receiving soil analysis results that will help them make informed decisions on how to improve the health of their soils.
The analysis was carried out by OCP Africa in conjunction with the County Government with a view to giving farmers valuable insights into the specific needs of their soils and crops.
This, OCP Africa Agronomist Karen Ayabei said, will go a long way in assisting farmers to tailor their fertilizer applications as per the soil needs to address existing deficiencies.
Speaking at Ugweri Market while handing over results of 1,080 soil samples to the County Government, Ms Ayabei said efficient use of fertilizer will ensure that crops receive the nutrients needed for optimal growth and yields.
Unfortunately, many farms have been rendered unproductive through years of over cultivation, thus, he called for the farmers to practice and maintain soil health.
“When the soil status is poor irrespective of the quality of fertilizer, farmers might not be able to get the full benefits that come out of it because of other factors that will prevent efficiency and use of the nutrients,” she said.
She said besides soil testing, they have been able to reach over 5,000 farmers in terms of training on best practices to improve their farming and make it a profitable venture.
Additionally, the agronomist said they have also been able to map more than 140,000 hectares of land and subsequently developed soil maps for the whole county.
“The County Government and the farmers will be able to use these maps to make decisions with regard to what products are specific to the crops and also the soils of the county,” she said.
She noted that the majority of the soils in the county had low PH levels, phosphorus, nitrogen and soil organic carbons.
County Executive Committee Member (CECM) John Nyaga said the move will aid in attainment of food security in the county and also boost incomes for farmers, which will ease procurement and distribution of fertilizers under the subsidy program as per soil types in different ecological zones.
“We will henceforth be able to distribute fertilizers to our farmers as per the needs of soils in a given area,” he said.
By Samuel Waititu
