Fertiliser alternatives can improve crop yields

Chemical fertilisers are a major contributor to poor soil and loss of biodiversity. In this article, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations looks at environmentally friendly alternatives.

- INVITATION

Integrated soil fertility management seeks to improve crop yields, while preserving sustainable, long-term soil fertility through the judicious use of fertilisers, recycled organic resources, responsive crop varieties, and improved agronomic practices. Together, these measures minimise nutrient losses and improve the nutrient-use efficiency of crops.

Integrated soil fertility management includes knowing how to adapt these practices to local conditions to maximise efficiency of the applied nutrients and improve crop productivity.

NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS

All inputs need to be managed following sound agronomic principles. Nature-based solutions are defined as actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems, and address societal challenges, simultaneously providing benefits for human well-being and biodiversity.

Nature-based solutions mimic natural processes that rely on ecosystems functioning to ensure food and livelihood security, healthier diets and more inclusive rural economies.

They can improve soil fertility and soilnutrient content through different approaches, including the capture of atmospheric nitrogen through biological nitrogen fixation (BNF). Currently, symbiotic plants such as legumes are utilised, but at least 13 genera belonging to the prokaryote group are known to fix nitrogen.

BNF is one of the main ways farmers can avoid the over-use of synthetic nitrogen fertilisers. Indeed, more than 60% of the fixed nitrogen on the planet results from BNF.

Optimising BNF in agriculture is therefore urgently needed to help meet the demand of the world’s growing population for food.