The Role of Organic Fertilizers in Sustainable Agriculture

Organic fertilizers improve soil quality and preserve crop health. Stakeholders are encouraging organic fertilizer adoption into sustainable farming practices.

FREMONT, CA: Global inadequate soil fertility factors affect crop production, posing a threat to food security. The population will expand to 10 billion by 2050, and food security is a major concern. Improving soil fertility is important to meet rising food production demands sustainably. Ongoing fertility trends see farmers rely on inorganic fertilizers like mineral fertilizers to improve food production. Inorganic fertilizers leak into the environment and are cost-ineffective. Stakeholders are recommending organic fertilizers to curb inorganic fertilizers' environmental impact.

Farmers must adopt organic fertilizers in their farming practices to optimize their farm's production capabilities.

Nutrient holding capacity: Organic fertilizers improve the soil's ability to retain more nutrients and provide a balanced nutrient supply. Organic fertilizers in soils can resist PH changes limiting unpredictable nutrient loss and gain. Crops benefit from increased microbial activity in the soil. Farmers benefit from increased crop production due to improved nutrient mineralization rates and aerobic and anaerobic bacteria growth. It promotes the growth of specific fungi that form networks of root extension for nutrient availability to crops. Soil microbes decompose their biomass and release nutrients into the soil and crops as a result.

Water holding capacity: The soil's ability to retain moisture is important to fluctuating weather conditions like droughts. It protects crop health by securing the soil against run-off water. Water-laden soils allow rainwater and irrigation absorption at the right speed and quantity and preserve the soil from erosion, nutrient loss, and soil loss. Organic substances in the soil introduce longer-lasting moisture that evaporates slower than irrigation and rainwater.

Soil texture and structure: Organic fertilizers bind with the soil and improve soil aggregation, which enhances soil structure. Organic matter in fertilizers helps soil texture and aeration. Soils with improved structure and texture allow easy air, water, and root movement to support healthy crop growth.

Adaptability: Greenhouse gas-driven climate changes lead to adverse and extreme weather conditions that negatively impact food production and agriculture. Organic fertilizers restock the soil's nutrient and moisture reserves, and such soils are better solutions to resist flooding. Saturated and poorly drained soils allow water to accumulate on top. Organic fertilizers improve particle aggregation and give the soil room for more water retention.