Mekuria Guye
Steady declining of soil productivity aggravated by diminishing per capita holdings of arable land poses a severe threat to sustainability of agricultural production and livelihoods for the majority of the farming population in rural Ethiopia. Farming mechanism and strategies in Ethiopian agriculture is mainly focus on technological transfer which put loose attention to local soil fertility management practices. Thus, aggregately, less production is being achieved. Hence, the only use of modern science in diverse agro-ecological zone of farming area and complex socio-economic conditions of the people has failed to ensure sustainable agriculture. Nowadays, across the world however, there is significant recognition of the role of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) in many development dimensions which is not exceptional to soil fertility management. However, in Ethiopia the absence of effective linkage between IK and modern science in land management in general and soil in particular is the most probable problems that hinder the effectiveness of the development of agriculture. Therefore, the attempt of this paper work was to assess the integration of indigenous and modern methods of soil fertility management measures and prominent challenges in sustaining agriculture at rural Ethiopia. Three kebeles from the study district that found at different agro-ecological zone were purposively selected. It was due to visible intense practices of indigenous soil fertility management measures. Out of 1422 household residents under the three agro-ecological zones, 142 household farmers were randomly selected using simple random sampling procedure. Questionnaire surveys, key informant interview and observation checklist were data gathering tools used. As the finding, the use of chemical fertilizer was not only lesser but also far below what is normally recommended per hectare. This was due to a number of inconveniences (i.e., wealth difference, high price of farm inputs, in sufficient credit, and untimely supply of the fertilizer), and therefore, retarded the practices for ensuring food security. There is integration of the two bodies of knowledge. Lack of adequate and organized trainings for farmers, limited input, fragmented land holdings, technical failure, and deficiency of the farmer-extension services are the major constraints in linking the two bodies of knowledge.
Share this article