Kenya bets on soil intelligence to cut farm costs and boost yields

Kenya plans to transform how farmers receive fertiliser support by using soil data to determine the type and quantity of nutrients required on individual farms.

The move could eventually see fertiliser subsidies become more targeted, with farmers receiving inputs based on the condition of their soils rather than a largely uniform approach.

Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said subsidies would have limited impact if farmers continued applying fertiliser that did not match the needs of their land.

“A bag of the wrong fertiliser, delivered on time, at half the price, to the wrong soil, is still the wrong fertiliser,” Kagwe said during the launch of a national soil health drive at KALRO Kabete.

The government is working to link soil test results with the Kenya Integrated Agriculture Management Information System (KIAMIS), which has more than eight million registered farmers.

Such integration could allow soil information to be incorporated into future agricultural support programmes, enabling farmers to receive recommendations on the appropriate fertiliser and other inputs for their farms.

The initiative comes as the government seeks to lower production costs and improve returns for farmers amid concerns over soil degradation and inefficient use of agricultural inputs.

Kagwe said about 63 per cent of Kenya’s arable land is acidic, with nearly seven million acres classified as strongly acidic.

He warned that continuing to apply fertiliser without first understanding soil conditions could increase farmers’ costs without delivering the expected improvement in yields.

So far, more than 3,600 geo-referenced soil samples have been collected from 45 counties, excluding Nairobi and Mombasa. The samples will be analysed for nutrient levels, physical and chemical characteristics and fertility.

The information will form part of a planned digital soil information platform that will combine soil data with climate, rainfall, crop suitability and remote-sensing information.

The system is expected to eventually allow farmers to access information on suitable crops and the nutrients required on their land without having to travel to laboratories.

The government is also seeking to expand the country’s capacity to analyse soil samples.

The refurbished KALRO Soil Chemistry Laboratories in Kabete, valued at Sh220 million, will support the programme, while laboratories under the National Soil Laboratory Network are being trained to use standard procedures and produce comparable results.

Technology could further accelerate the process. Officials said conventional wet-chemistry analysis can take weeks, while new scanning technology being developed could eventually analyse more than 800 samples per hour.

Once the remaining equipment is installed, officials expect analysis of the more than 3,600 samples already collected to take about two months.

The data could also have implications beyond fertiliser subsidies.

FAO Deputy Director for the Land and Water Division Nora Berrahmouni said soil intelligence could help investors identify areas suitable for particular crops and agricultural activities.

“Through soil intelligence, we are able to help investors target their investments wisely,” Berrahmouni said.

For agribusinesses, such information could provide a clearer picture of where particular crops can be grown efficiently, potentially influencing decisions on processing plants, input distribution and other investments along the agricultural value chain.

The SoilFER programme is being implemented in Kenya, Ghana, Mozambique, Zambia, Tunisia, Guatemala and Honduras, with Kenya receiving support from the Food and Agriculture Organization and the United States Department of State.

The Kenyan component has attracted about $1.6 million in investment, with additional equipment and reagents still being procured.

Kagwe has urged county governments to co-finance soil testing and make the services more accessible to farmers.

The government is also promoting the use of lime to address soil acidity, restoration of organic matter and stronger enforcement against counterfeit and substandard agricultural inputs.

The proposed shift to soil-based support would give the government more data to determine where agricultural resources are needed, while giving farmers more precise information on how to use increasingly expensive inputs.