Agricultural researchers in East Africa have adopted Infra Red Spectroscopy to analyse a given sample of soil and instantly tell its quality.

The qualities of a soil that can be revealed by the technology include ability to provide nutrients to plants, allow water sip into the ground, water retention capacity, and ability to resist erosion. It can also tell whether a given soil can absorb chemicals, capture and store greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide.

"We are for the first time getting prevalence data on soil degradation problems that has remained elusive in developing countries," said Mr. Elvis Weullow, a senior Laboratory Technician at the Nairobi-based International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF)."Apart from telling us the the soil qualities, IR also enables us come up with precise and timely recommendations about how to improve depleted soils," he said.

Weullow noted that the technology is very efficient, as it detects soil degradation at a very early stage and suggests preventative actions. Researchers associated with the project believe that within five years IR technology could provide farmers within East Africa with access to diagnostic support for their soils at affordable prices, and also eliminate the need for governments to build costly soil analysis laboratories.

Scientists at ICRAF, who adapted the technology, also widely used for quality control in the pharmaceutical industry, are presently diagnosing soils from different countries, including Uganda. The chemical-free technology at the moment costs farmers in Kenya Kshs33 (US 50 cents) for a single soil analysis, according to Weullow.

The ICRAF researchers are also equipping laboratories in African countries with the technology. To date, the centre has equipped three laboratories in Mali, Kenya and Mozambique to serve their own farmers.

Weullow is very optimistic that this technique will make East Africans do things that were previously not practical, as it takes only sunlight and a sample of soil for farmers to know how productive their soils are and what they can plant, and where.

Through this technology governments can also measure the impact a given project has had on soil over a period of time, as the diagnostic device offers the ability to monitor changes in the soil.

"This technique will benefit governments a lot as it will enable them adopt a guided resource allocations in their national budgets," Mr. Andrew Sila, a data analyst at ICRAF said. Sila noted that even though the equipment is expensive to acquire (85,000 Euros), it is efficient, since it has the capacity of scanning 500 samples of soil daily.

The ICRAF researchers, in collaboration with the World Bank and the UN Millennium Villages, are currently using the technology in Kenya's Lake Victoria region. The technology is aiding them determine the fertility of the soil, know how much carbon it has captured and stored, and the impact of floods on the soil, said ICRAF public relations officer George Obanyi.

Source The Monitor. Read more.