Soil Salinity and Nutrient Deficiency Plague Farmlands in Kailali, Nepal

Kailali. Excessive salinity (salt) has been detected in the soil during testing in Kailali. Additionally, a deficiency of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium has been observed in the soil.

Soil testing was organized by the Community Cooperative Society Satti. To understand the soil condition before planting crops, soil was tested in Satti and Bhajani of Tikapur with the technical assistance of the Soil and Fertilizer Testing Laboratory Sundarpur, Directorate of Agricultural Development, Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives, Sudurpashchim Province Government.

In tests conducted on Saturday and Sunday, 91 farmers in Satti and 30 farmers in Bhajani had their farmland soil tested. The cooperative's secretary, Krit Thakkulla, informed that the soil testing was done to raise awareness among cooperative shareholders about the need to protect soil quality for the environment and human health, and for crop protection.

Hamprasad Neure, Assistant Soil Scientist at the Soil and Fertilizer Testing Laboratory Sundarpur, Kanchanpur, stated that the soil condition appeared alarming during the tests. "The soil quality of all tested farmers was found to have deteriorated. We examined the soil of 121 farmers, and high salinity was observed in all of them," he said. "The condition of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the soil is weak, which is reducing crop production."

According to soil expert Neure, if the soil condition persists, it will be impossible to obtain production from this soil in the next 10 years. "I have suggested that programs should now focus on improving farmers' soil, not just testing it," he said. "Local governments should now bring improvement programs instead of testing. As the availability of animal manure decreases, making dhaincha cultivation mandatory to increase green manure and organic fertilizer is essential."

The testing laboratory stated that it tests over five thousand samples annually in coordination with agricultural knowledge centers, local levels, organizations, and cooperatives in the districts of Sudurpashchim and provides recommendations. Besides this, farmers also bring soil for testing themselves.

"When farmers bring samples for testing themselves, a fee of Rs 100 is charged per sample. Students from various universities are charged Rs 200 for testing. For cooperatives and organizations, the fee is set at Rs 400," he said. "Additionally, upon the request of the Agricultural Knowledge Center, we test soil samples in all nine districts of Sudurpaschim."

After soil testing, farmers are provided with a soil health certificate. The soil health card given to farmers includes details about the soil's pH, organic matter content, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and soil texture. It also outlines the necessary actions for soil improvement.

Based on the card, it is necessary to teach farmers to use organic fertilizers such as cow dung and green manure to protect crops. Although local municipalities are educating farmers about green manure and organic fertilizers, the excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides is degrading the soil and environment, so farmers themselves need to be aware, he suggested.

To support sustainable soil management, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has already implemented the Pesticide Management Regulations, 2081. Emphasis is being placed on organic fertilizers and organic farming methods.

Agricultural technicians state that governments at all three levels – federal, provincial, and local – have prioritized this issue. Rabina Chaudhary, an agricultural technician from Tikapur Municipality, said that through the agricultural branch, efforts are being made to encourage farming according to soil quality with the objective of reducing the use of both chemical fertilizers and pesticides while increasing production.

"We provide farmers with information on producing green manure to prevent soil quality degradation and advise them to cultivate dhaincha (green manure)," she said. "Farmers must pay attention to soil conservation, as healthy soil leads to a healthy environment."