Integrated Nutrient Management for Enhancing and Sustaining Soil Fertility and Crop Productivity in Ethiopia

Abstract

Agriculture remains the mainstay of Ethiopia’s economy. It contributes a large share of the national products growth. Despite the importance of this sector, soil fertility depletion and soil quality decline have been threatening the ecological and economic sustainability of crop production. In order to improve soil fertility, soil nutrient have been replenished through organic input, chemical application, or combination of both sources. The objective of this paper was to review effect of integrated nutrient management in improving soil fertility and productivity of major crops in Ethiopian context. Soil fertility management practices such as animal manure, crop residues, crop rotation, mineral fertilizer, compost etc to cope with declining soil fertility, which differ among farmers and among locations. Therefore, the use of integrated soil fertility management strategy with inclusion and combination of chemical fertilizer, organic input and using improved crop varieties gives the better production and keeps the soil fertility status to a better level. The practice being under taken by the government, which is the use of fertilizers in blanket recommendation is not successful as a result of agro-climate, soil and the socio-economic condition of the farmer, resorting to sustainable integrated soil fertility management to get maximum yield without compromising the soil fertility status in the future, this is wise and needed to be followed. Keywords: Integrated nutrient management, Crop production, Soil fertility. DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/11-21-02 Publication date: November 30 th 2020