Crisis in the soil: Fertilizer shortage and depleting land risk food security

The planting season is approaching in Kenya’s breadbasket areas, in line with the March-April-May rains.

Farmers are already queuing at National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) outlets to purchase subsidized fertilizer.

However, there is a shortage in supply. A spot-check by The Standard in Bomet and Kitale shows that farmers have been left in suspense as NCPB outlets are out of stock.

The shortage may be due to a recent directive from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, which ordered the destruction of over 27,000 bags of recently imported fertilizer deemed unfit for use.

The urgency with which farmers are seeking fertilizer reflects a deeply ingrained belief that their production could be hindered without it. And they may be right.

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Emerging data reveals that only a small portion of Kenya’s land can be relied upon for good food production. The rest of the soil is either too acidic, phosphorus-deficient, or carbon-deficient.

Dr Stephen Kimani, a fertilizer and soil health expert at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), attributes this to years of overuse of synthetic fertilizers.

The Agricultural Soil Management Policy (2023) highlights the decline of Kenya’s soil. The document points to the loss of fertility, noting the soil’s diminished ability to supply both macro and micronutrients in the necessary amounts, forms, and proportions for optimal plant growth.

“Synthetic fertilisers (the most common being DAP and CAN) only give us macro nutrients like phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen. Nothing more.

“Yet, plants need 18 essential nutrients to grow, 15 of which come from the soil. They include secondary elements such as calcium and magnesium, and micronutrients such as zinc, iron, and molybdenum,” Dr Kimani says.

Eng Laban Kiplagat, Agriculture Engineering Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, acknowledges this too.

He says: “We realize that unless we take care of the soil things might not be very good – our ability to be food secure – in the long term.

“Our soils are degraded. Most of our soils are very acidic. To feed the current population we cannot change the practice [of fertilizer use].”

In essence, Kenyan farmers must now rely on synthetic fertilizers to stand a chance at profitable production. This only spells profits for the world’s fertiliser producers.

In Kenya, fertiliser prices rose over 150 per cent from 2020 to 2022 causing hue and cry from farmers across the country.

To partially alleviate the impact of costs on farmers – majority who cannot afford the actual cost of the fertilisers – many African governments, Kenya being a prime example, subsidise fertilisers. Prior to the 2023 long rains the Kenyan government procured 472,500 metric tons of fertilizer at an estimated cost of Sh54.3 billion. This significant expenditure sucks away funds from other essential public needs.

In 2022, the world’s nine largest fertilizer producers registered combined profits amounting to USD 48.7 billion (Sh6.2trillion).

“Acidic soils fix phosphorus, making it unavailable to plants, and reducing the availability of other key nutrients like potassium,” Dr Kimani noted.

Kimani was speaking at a forum held at end of February where civil society organization Heinrich Boell Foundation (HBS) was unveiling ‘Soil Atlas – Kenya Edition’ – a publication that presents critical facts about soil; a resource that impacts food and nutrition security.

Also at the meeting was Dr Peter Mokaya, a medical doctor by training, who also heads Organic Consumers Alliance (OCA).

He said: “Why would I, a physician be here talking about soil? There is a direct link between health of the soil and the health of the ecosystem, and the health of human beings.

“All these modern illnesses like diabetes, cancer, obesity, Alzheimer’s, autism; are linked to poor soils that have been poisoned by decades of synthetic fertilisers and toxic pesticides.”

The Atlas, prepared from existing research literature, shows that in Kenya, only 20 per cent of cropland is arable. “Soil is the foundation of life. Protecting soil is not just an agricultural concern, it is essential for sustaining ecosystems, food security, and climate resilience. Soil health influences the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe,” noted Joachim Paul, Director at HBS.

But what is soil health? According to Kimani soil health takes into consideration the physical, biological and chemical properties of the soil.

Lukelysia Mwangi, a senior laboratory technician in the living soils laboratory at International Centre for Forestry Research – World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), says that overuse of synthetic chemicals in farming has decimated soil biome.

“Healthy soils team with life. If you take a teaspoon of healthy soil, it has billions of bacteria and millions of fungi and protozoans. Soil also has other organisms such as earthworms. Their presence or absence in the soil is indicative of the health of that soil,” she says.

Speaking last year at the Africa Fertiliser and Soil Health Summit, held here in Nairobi, the then PS at the State Department of Agriculture said that Kenya’s annual consumption of [synthetic] fertilizer was 750,000 metric tonnes, “which is just 50 percent of its potential.”

According to the experts, there is no scientific reason to increase farmers’ use of synthetic fertilizer. Instead, they are advising for more incorporation of organic fertilisers such as manure and organic matter.

“At KALRO we have been doing a long term study that began in 1975 and it is still continuing. We have been tracking soil health after long term usage of synthetic fertilisers alone, organic fertilisers alone and a combination of both.

“The study results indicate that when we integrate organic and inorganic fertilisers, or when we use organic only, production grows and remains steady compared to synthetic fertilisers,” says Kimani.

Data from India shows that increase in fertilizer use in farming has not been proportional to production. In 1970 India used 54Kg of fertilizer per hectare and produced on average 1.8 tonnes of grain per hectare. In 2015, India was using 254Kg of fertilizer per hectare but only yielding 2.2 tonnes of grain. Similarly, despite applying 57Kg of fertiliser per hectare, Kenya produces less grain than Uganda; which uses only 2Kg per hectare.

“This contrast shows the limitations of relying solely on fertilisers to achieve food security,” says Dr. Harun Warui, the Lead Programme Coordinator, Agroecology and Food Rights at HBS.

Even with heavy fertliser usage food still remains nutrient deficient. The government in 2011 developed and adopted the National Food and Nutrition Security Policy, which calls for fortification of produce.