Recognizing that farmers are able to assess soil quality based on a variety of local indicators that may differ from technical analyses undertaken by scientists, the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) have released a methodological guide that amalgamates local farmer analysis and scientific assessments.
18 September 2013: Recognizing that farmers are able to assess soil quality based on a variety of local indicators that may differ from technical analyses undertaken by scientists, the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) have released a methodological guide that amalgamates local farmer analysis and scientific assessments.
The ‘InPaC-S: Participatory Knowledge Integration on Indicators of Soil Quality’ methodological guide helps farmers work together with scientists to better understand local causes of soil degradation in agricultural lands. The guidebook helps to diagnose soil constraints and identify short-, medium-, and long-term options to address issues like erosion, compaction and acidity. The application of the guidebook also seeks to empower local institutions to support farmers in soil management through participatory approaches. The guidebook is available in English and Portuguese and was tested in Mozambique.
ICRAF and CIAT are members of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). [Publication: InPaC-S: Participatory Knowledge Integration on Indicators of Soil Quality] [ICRAF Blog Post]