CHALLENGE

Many small-scale farmers are unaware of the importance of soil health/fertility. At the same time, their soils are overused and infertile, and one of the major reasons for low production, resulting in economic hardship and malnutrition.

OUR APPROACH

We have made it our mandate to raise farmers’ awareness about the importance of soil health. To address this issue we use modern technology and have a handheld soil scanner. These scanners are a very valuable tool for soil analysis directly on farm. They enable our farmers to determine the input requirement, i.e. to identify possible lacking minerals and subsequent addition of minerals for an efficient and economically viable agricultural production, while at the same time taking advantage of the nutrients already present in the soil.

The soil scanners also serve to determine lime requirements, which is very important for our farmers as most soils in the region where SOFDI works have been found to be highly acidic, thereby reducing nutrient availability of the crops.

We collaborate with SoilCare, an NGO that also provides on-site complete lab services in Western Kenya with instant result-generation for a more detailed analysis. The system has been developed by the world famous Wageningen University in Holland.