Knowledge of Farmers on Integrated Soil Fertility Management in Selected Areas of Mymensingh Sadar Upazila, Mymensingh District, Bangladesh

Abstract

A major global concern is the decline in soil fertility and the resulting reduction in crop yields in developing nations due to improper soil fertility management practices. Furthermore, to improve food security and environmental sustainability in farming systems, both the national and international communities acknowledge that an integrated approach to managing soil fertility is necessary. Considering the importance of soil fertility, the study aimed to assess farmers’ knowledge on farmers’ knowledge on integrated soil fertility management as well as identify the influential factors that may affect their knowledge along with figuring out the problems faced by the farmers in practicing integrated soil fertility management. Data were collected from three villages of Mymensingh sadar upazila (sub-district) under Mymensingh district purposively and analyzed using Multiple Linear Regression Models. Findings indicated that the majority (66.66%) of the non-FFS farmers were found to have a low level of knowledge on integrated soil fertility management whereas 60% of the FFS farmers had a higher level of integrated soil fertility and nutrient management knowledge. There are several factors that influence the knowledge of farmers on integrated soil fertility management. For the Non-FFS famers farm size, annual family income, and training; and for FFS farmers, exposure to extension media and training significantly influence the knowledge level of the farmers on integrated soil fertility management. Analysis shows that these factors explained 91% variation (for Non-FFS) and 89% variation (for FFS) in the farmers’ knowledge on integrated soil fertility management. There were notable differences between FFS and non-FFS farmers in terms of the problems they experienced while practicing integrated soil fertility management. In order to address the difficulties that non-FFS farmers face, a number of governmental and non-governmental organizations can actively work to raise farmers' awareness of and knowledge about integrated soil fertility management by putting appropriate policies in place. These include providing technical education, training, and group-based extension activities like Farmer Field School.