The European Union (EU) funded Boosting Agriculture and Food Security (BAFS) Project through the Agricultural Engineering Division Ministry of Agriculture (MoF) is currently undertaking a comprehensive nationwide Soil Survey.
The exercise is being implemented through the Njala University (NU), as well as the National Authorizing Office (NAO) as the contracting authority, in collaboration with the Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute (SLARI) and professional consultants.
According to previous research conducted, the last nationwide soil resources inventory in Sierra Leone was conducted from 1976 to 1979.
Meanwhile, the current soil survey exercise is to increase scope to address gaps of previous surveys conducted.
The Imprest Administrator BAFS Project and Supervisory Soil Survey focal person, Musa Bangura, noted that the overall objectives of the exercise are to conduct a national comprehensive soil survey and generate information for the proper utilization and management of soil.
He said the exercise would update maps of the agro climatic/vegetation regions and rice agro ecological zones, as well as map soil fertility management zones; identify, characterize and map soil types at its full level.
The Impress Administrator said such a survey would strengthen the capacity of staff of the Agricultural Engineering Division of MAFS to undertake soil surveys, and also interpret soil survey reports and make recommendations on land practice and management.
He said the survey would capacitate NU and SLARI laboratories to produce reliable data on soil management as well as enhance both institutions and develop a framework for a national strategy on soil management.
He added that having completed the field component of soil survey in nine districts, the field survey has been extended to other districts, including Koinadugu, Kono, Bo, Tonkonlili and Bombali.
Bangura disclosed that three targeted labs have been capacitated and an average of 210 soil samples collected from soil profile pits.
‘’Over 162 samples have been analyzed for electrical conductivity (pH), texture, total nitrogen, soil organic carbon, available phosphorus and exchangeable bases (sodium, magnesium, potassium and calcium),’’ he confirmed.
He said a total of 0.01% out of 3,200 of soil samples have been tested in the International Institute of Tropical Research (IITA) laboratory.
He said a huge quantity of soil samples have been collected from soil profile pit horizons and soil fertility sampling from the surveyed districts and have been air-dried, sieved and stored for analysis.
The Supervisory Soil Survey focal person Bangura poised that with mass awareness on radio via jingles the field components would yield its dividend before the next wet season.