Integrated Soil Fertility Management

• • Good soil acts as a water reservoir as well as plant and animal nutrient source. 
  • Over time, agricultural production will diminish soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks unless land is fallowed, or soil fertility is restored. 
  • Soil degradation is attributable to land-use intensification, conversion of new land for food and fibre production, and conventional agricultural practices
  •  Soil health describes the capacity of a soil to meet performance standards relating to nutrient and water storage and supply, biological diversity and function, structural integrity and resistance to degradation. 

• Integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) considers all the soil services and their effect on land productivity

“ISFM as a set of soil fertility management practices that include the use of fertilizer, organic inputs and improved germplasm, combined with the knowledge on how to adapt these practices to local conditions, aimed at maximizing agronomic use efficiency of the applied nutrients and improving crop productivity. All inputs need to be managed in accordance with sound agronomic principles” 

Vanlauwe et al. 2010