Nutrient Balance of Farming Systems in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Nutrient Balance of Farming Systems in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia Girmay Gebresamuel 1 & Denisse Opazo-Salazar 2 & Gabriel Corral-Núnez 2 & Christy van Beek 2,3 & Eyasu Elias 4 & Chukwuebuka Christopher Okolo 1,5 Received: 6 May 2020 / Accepted: 12 October 2020 # Sociedad Chilena de la Ciencia del Suelo 2020
Abstract The purpose of this study was to explore how soil fertility management and farm nutrient balances varied across socio-economic groups in northern Ethiopia. Field surveys were carried out in 32 farms in Tigray, northern Ethiopia using different socioeconomic groups, viz.: model/non model and female/male farmers. The nutrient input flows and output flows were monitored and analysed using Monitoring for Quality Improvement (MonQI) toolbox. Results of the study showed that average nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) balances in the highlands were − 30.8, 4.08 and − 42.75 kg ha−1, respectively while in the lowland the average nutrient balance were − 19.5, 2.09 and − 15.35 kg ha−1 for N, P and K, respectively. All farms had negative N and K nutrient balances, with lower negative N and K balance recorded in highlands than the lowlands. The reported values account about 0.6% and 2.7% of the total soil N and K pools in the highland and 0.3% and 0.8% in the lowland, respectively. Nutrient depletion rates in the highlands were 0.6% year−1 and 2.7% year−1 for N and K, respectively while for the lowlands the rates were 1.5% year−1 and 3.4% year−1 for N and K, respectively. Depletion rates were higher in the lowlands than highlands due to monocropping, crop residue removal and absence of soil water conservation. Most farms belonging to model farmers of both categories and non-model male farmers show more negative nutrient balance. We conclude that socio-economic status and being model farmers had less role in soil fertility maintenance. However, the more positive balance in female-headed households points to the need for adequate attention and support for the female-headed households. This study underscores the need for sustainable nutrient management. More so, agricultural policy should target female-headed households to help reduce the productivity gap between male-headed households and female-headed households. Keywords Farming system . Female-headed farmers . Male-headed farmers . MonQI . Model farmers . Nutrient balance Denisse Opazo-Salazar and Gabriel Corral-Núnez current addresses are unknown * Girmay Gebresamuel [email protected]; [email protected] Chukwuebuka Christopher Okolo https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7284-2512 1
Department of Land Resources Management and Environmental Protection, Mekelle University, P.O Box 231, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia
2
Alterra, WUR, Wageningen University, P.O Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
3
Soil Cares Foundation, Nieuwe Kanaal 7c, 6709 PA Wageningen, The Netherlands
4
Centre for Environmental Studies, College of Natural and Computational Science, Addis Ababa University, P.O Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
5
Departm
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