A soil research scientist has stressed the need for Ghana to prioritize building its soil organic matter and strengthening soil fertility to help promote sustainable food security.
Mr Emmanuel Baidoo, an Assistant Research Scientist at the Soil Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-SRI), who made the call, said government should continue to subsidize fertilizers for farmers to help improve soil fertility and crop yields.
The Ghana Meteorological Agency should also link up with farmers by providing adequate information on the weather to reduce unpredictable weather patterns that often led to crop failures.
Presenting a report on the ongoing study on how farmers could help mitigate climate change using the indigenous knowledge proven by the African dark earth concept at the CSIR-SRI 2025 in-house review and planning session at Kwadaso, near Kumasi, he said it was important to replenish the soil through best management practices.
The African Dark Earth concept refers to the highly fertile, carbon-rich soils found in West Africa, created through long-term human activity.
“To navigate how the fertile carbon-rich soils play a vital role in climate change mitigation through soil carbon sequestration with its improving soil fertility towards food security qualities, it is important farmers continue to preserve them through best management practices, which include balancing fertilizer application, organic composting, crop rotation and crop diversification”, he stated.
The study, according to him, also indicates that nutrient mining had reduced cocoa yields at areas where these rich soils were situated.
According to Mr Baidoo, areas such as Bomfa and Ekyeneso in Ashanti Region, parts of Kintampo North District, Tamale area and Navrongo, which were included in the African dark earth areas, had been converted into building physical infrastructure for human settlements and industries.
He pointed out that, the rate at which fertile soils were being encroached upon and converted into other non-agricultural purposes could pose serious food security threat for the country.
The In-house Review and Planning Session also afforded other experts within the soil research space, to brainstorm on the research and development activities that the scientists of the CSIR-SRI have been involved in over the period, review them for publication to help contribute to knowledge building.
Other individual scientists also made presentations on land use planning, soil fertility and soil evaluation, soil fertility management and crop productivity, land suitability and agriculture systems, environmental impacts on soil health and soil and human health interactions among others.
Dr Collins Tay, Director, CSIR-SRI, indicated that the Institute was currently involved in a few research and development activities both in consultancies and donor funding projects.
Again, the SRI was expecting funding from donors to conduct studies to address Ghana’s soil information systems, which would potentially discuss and recommend soil nutrients management and soil health and crops specific fertilizer recommendations in some selected agroecological zones in Ghana.
Source: Access Agric
