INTEGRATING SCIENTIFIC AND FARMERS' EVALUATION OF SOIL

QUALITY INDICATORS IN CENTRAL KENYA

Created by
F.S. Mairura, D.N. Mugendi , J.I. Mwanje , J.J. Ramisch , P.K. Mbugua , J.N. Chianu

Presented by
Galang Indra Jaya
Graduate School of Soil Science Program,
Faculty of Agriculture,
Gadjah Mada University

SOIL QUALITY
 INTRODUCTION
Soil Quality
Keywords: Farmers; Factor analysis; Local indicators; Scientists; Soil fertility
Soil quality as a specific concept developed rapidly during the
decade of the 1990s, evolving as an outcome of increasingly
holistic approaches to soil management and sustainable land use
systems (Karlen et al., 1994, 1997, 2001).

This study aimed to find out how these identified categories compared in terms of soil
chemical and physical characteristics, based on means and multivariate evaluation of
soil indicators. The study also sought to evaluate the use of soil indicators and soil
quality variability in the field by farmers, in relation to crop choice and soil
management practices.

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CORE OF JOURNAL

SOIL QUALITY

INDICATORS

FARMER SCIENTIST

CONCLUSION INTEGRATED

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 MATERIALS AND METHODS

• Site description
• Choice of study area

• Choice of study area

• Household interviews and field observations

• Soil sampling and analysis

• Data analysis

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 LOCAL INDICATOR

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Fig. 1. Local indicators identified and used by farmers to distinguish soil quality status
within fields in Chuka and Gachoka divisions, Kenya.
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 SOIL PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

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 SOIL FERTILITY

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 FIG SOIL FACTOR

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 SOIL SCORES

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 CORRELATIONS SOIL ATRIBUTE

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 CONCLUSION
The results reported in the study demonstrates that local soil knowledge provides a
consistent classification of soil quality.
1. Indicators and measured properties, there were clear differences in crop yield, crop
performance, soil colour, tilth, fertiliser response and moisture retention in the high and
low fertility farms.
2. Fertile soils were indicated by darker colour, better tilth, better crop response to
fertilisers, and soil moisture retention.
3. The aggregated soils dataset indicated that there were significant differences between
the high and low soil fertility niches identified by farmers for key soil properties, with
more fertile plots being significantly higher in soil carbon, calcium, magnesium, soil pH,
and available-N.
4.Farmers‘ perceptions of soil quality were substantiated through soil chemical analyses
and soil parameters provided precise information on these differences.
5.The identified factors were found to be consistent with farmers' soil indicators that
were related to crop yield and performance, and soil physical descriptive indicators.

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JAZAKALLAHU KHAIRAN