by NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) – When Benson Wanjala started farming in his village in western Kenya two and a half decades ago, his 10-acre farm could produce a valuable harvest of 200 bags of maize. That has reduced to 30. He says that his once fertile soil is now an almost lifeless field and no longer earns a living.
Like many other farmers, he blames acidified fertilizers pushed in Kenya and other African countries in recent years. He said he started using the fertilizers to increase his yield and it worked – until it failed. The Kenyan government first introduced a fertilizer subsidy in 2008, making chemical fertilizers more accessible to small-scale farmers.
About 63% of arable land in Kenya is now acidic, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, which has recorded a decline in the production of staples such as maize and exports of horticulture and tea in the lead. Maize production fell by 4% to 44 million tonnes in 2022, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization, which did not say why.
The agriculture ministry did not respond to questions, especially after a fake fertilizer scandal in April. The fertilizer was found to be in misleadingly labeled bags distributed to farmers through a national subsidy program. President William Ruto said about 7,000 farmers bought the fake fertilizer and would be compensated with the correct product.
Problems with soil health are increasing as the African continent struggles to feed itself. Africa has 65% of the world’s remaining uncultivated arable land but spends about $60 billion a year importing food, according to the African Development Bank. Spending is expected to increase to $110 billion by 2025 due to increased demand and changing consumption habits.
In May, Kenya hosted an Africa-wide summit on soil health to discuss declining production, climate change and other issues of concern for increased food security. Agriculture is a central part of Kenya’s economy, accounting for more than a quarter of GDP.
At the summit, Stephen Muchiri, executive director of the East African Farmers’ Federation, advocated a return to traditional farming practices to replenish lifeless soils, including planting a variety of crops and doing as little as possible to disturb the land
“Inorganic fertilizers were never meant to be the basis of crop production,” he said, later adding that because of “commercially oriented farming, our soils are now poor, acidic, and low in biomass resources, and without life!”
He said farmers should rotate crops on their land and obtain compost from livestock such as goats: “There has to be some sort of transition and adaptation of our soils to return to fertility.”
Experts say soil acidity causes land degradation by reducing plant availability and essential nutrients, making soil more vulnerable to structural deterioration and erosion.
The coordinator of the program for the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa, Bridget Mugambe, recommended the phase-out of chemical fertilizers.
“Soil health goes beyond the quick fixes provided by chemical fertilizers. In fact, chemical fertilizers have caused extensive damage to our soils in Africa. We need to think about our soils in a more holistic way,” she said.
The African Union’s soil health summit – which recommended in 2006 that members use more chemical fertilizers – adopted a 10-year plan that calls for increased investment in local production of both organic and chemical fertilizers and triple their use for production increased.
During the summit, the AU agriculture commissioner, Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, claimed that the continent was “losing more than $4 billion worth of soil nutrients every year”.
Kenya relies heavily on imported fertilizer due to low local production. The main supplier is the European Union, followed by Saudi Arabia and Russia.
The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa manager of Kenya, John Macharia, said Kenya’s recent fertilizer scandal should not discourage farmers.
“It is still vital that we are able to work with the government to ensure that the right fertilizers are getting to our stores,” said Macharia. He recommended both chemical and organic ones as long as they address the specific issue in the soil, and said that soil analysis would be a guide for farmers.
Decreasing soil quality is a food security concern across Africa.
In Zimbabwe, once a regional breadbasket, about 70% of soils are acidic, according to the government. In the past the government introduced chemical fertilizers in an attempt to strengthen soils, but improper use led to a decline in organic matter.
“Before the introduction of mineral fertilizers, our ancestors had the knowledge and understanding that if you add organic manure, the soil will become fertile, and crops will grow better,” said Wonder Ngezimana, professor associate of crop science at Zimbabwe’s Marondera University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology. “That used to be the norm in Zimbabwe and other parts of Africa where people are looking for any kind of organic matter to add to the soil.”
This includes animal manure, grass, leaves and twigs, crop residue, ash and compost. But many farmers in Zimbabwe no longer have cattle because of the recent drought, Ngezimana said: “Farmers are struggling to maintain soil health because they cannot generate sufficient quantities of organic matter.”
AGRA recommended that farmers test soil acidity and apply lime to reverse high acidity.
But farmers say both are limited and expensive. Soil testing services are available in government agricultural agencies, public universities and private organizations for prices ranging from $20 to $40.
Wanjala, the farmer, said that he can’t even find cash cattle for manure, and hardly for seeds.
“I can’t afford more expenses,” he said.
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Farai Mutsaka in Harare, Zimbabwe contributed to this report.
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