Background information

What is NUTMON

NUTMON is an integrated, multi-disciplinary methodology which targets different actors in the process of managing natural resources in general and soil nutrients in particular. With the NUTMON methodology farmers and researchers jointly analyse the environmental and financial sustainability of tropical farming systems.

Participatory research techniques such as resource flow mapping, matrix ranking and trend analysis are used to obtain the farmers perspective. Next to this a quantitative analysis is carried out which generates import indicators such as nutrient flows, nutrient balances, cash flows, gross margins and farm income. Both the qualitative and quantitative analysis are then used to improve or design new technologies which tackle soil fertility management problems and which can help to increase the financial performance of the farm.

The NUTMON approach has been and is being implemented in research and development projects addressing soil fertility management in situations of both nutrient depletion and nutrient accumulation. Currently we backstop the use of the NUTMON Toolbox in the following countries: Several sites in China, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali and Uganda.

Why is NUTMON developed

Population growth in tropical countries require food production growth of 3-4% per annum, these are growth rates of Green Revolution proportions. As the scope for production increase through using more land is limited, production growth will have to come from intensification. This has to be achieved on soils which in many tropical countries, especially in Sub Saharan Africa , have been mined for nutrients the last three decades. The continental study of Stoorvogel and Smaling estimated negative nutrient balances for most of the countries in Sub Saharan Africa. To achieve the needed yield increase a major effort from farmers, scientists and policy makers is required.

One of the crucial factors will be soil fertility management, nutrients will have to be saved as much as possible and at the same time nutrients should be added. NUTMON was developed to support this dynamic process of soil fertility management.

Recently, NUTMON has also been used to support soil fertility management practices in situations of nutrient accumulation. This is often the case in peri-urban farming systems, especially in Asia. In these situations NUTMON has been very usefull to quantify the over-supply of nutrients. With this information farmers can diminish their fertilizer costs without decreasing their yields.

Multidisciplinary

The problem of soil fertility management has biophysical, economic and socio-cultural aspects. From a bio-physical standpoint, soil fertility depletion relates to low and untimely or inefficient application of manure and fertilizer, farm management practices that lead to high losses through leaching and erosion, and to the (lack of) integration of livestock. From an economic standpoint, soil fertility decline relates to short-term economic considerations of farm households, insecure climatic and market environment, poor property rights, limited infrastructure and risk management. Socio-cultural aspects also play an important role, because they influence the decision making of farmers. Farmers' perceptions, knowledge, creativity and competence are essential elements for the adoption of new technologies. Next to this gender issues also play an important role. Female headed households often have less access to fertilizers because of cash constraints, or because they are being ignored by extension systems and marketing organisations. To effectively tackle the different problems of soil fertility decline, integration of disciplines (soil science, agronomy, animal husbandry, economy and sociology) is a prerequisite, as well as the integration of formal science and farmers' knowledge.

How can NUTMON support soil fertility management?

The first obvious and necessary step is to understand the dimensions and determinants of the problem of soil fertility management. Secondly, tailor made solutions have to be defined and developed in close cooperation with the users. Soil fertility decline is a very complex topic, and there is no monolithic solution to it. Solutions will need local adaptation and they will have to be built on a detailed knowledge base. Integrated nutrient management (INM) is seen as the way ahead, defined as the judicious manipulation of nutrient stocks and flows in a way that leads to satisfactory and sustained production, from both environmental, financial and socio-cultural stand points. This represents a major shift from traditional fertilizer response trials aimed at increased production per se, towards comprehensive solutions in the field of integration of organic and inorganic fertilizers, integration of livestock, soil water conservation, agricultural policies and marketing.

When determined at the level of individual activities within a farming system, the nutrient balance is a very useful variable to provide insight in where losses of nutrients from the system occur, and so help to target interventions. When applied to systems were INM practices are being introduced, nutrient balances can help to assess the effects of INM on soil fertility. When determined on a larger scale level (for instance at the level of agro-ecological zones) the nutrient balance can help to create awareness amongst policy makers and help to identify "hot-spots" of soil nutrient depletion or soil nutrient accumulation. This will assist policymakers in targeting their policies and funds.

What is a nutrient balance?

A nutrient balance is a land quality indicator that describes the rate at which soil fertility changes under actual management. The nutrient balance is calculated, through the independent assessment of the major inputs and outputs of nutrients for the relevant land use systems. The nutrient balance can be calculated for different scales such as: a plot, a farm, a region or a country. By simply subtracting the nutrient inputs from the nutrient outputs one obtains a balance.

The in- and outflows which are accounted for at the farm level are presented in figure below.

A negative nutrient balance tells us that more nutrients are exported from the system than imported into the system. This situation will diminish the nutrient stock, if the stock is low than it will have a negative effect on production. So the nutrient balance should always be related to the nutrient stock to determine the sustainability of a system (see figure below).

NUTMON Methodology

The NUTMON approach distinguishes two phases: the diagnostic phase and the development phase . In both phases multi-disciplinarity and integration of knowledge systems are important.

General overview of NUTMON-approach and the role of the NUTMON-Toolbox

Diagnostic phase

The diagnostic phase is carried out at farm level, since farm management decisions are taken at this level. The goal of the diagnostic phase is a participatory analysis of the current situation regarding to soil nutrient depletion and economic performance. It entails the application of the various tools in the NUTMON-Toolbox, preceded by participatory techniques, such as PRA and participatory resource flow mapping. The NUTMON-Toolbox plays a central role in this phase, since it quantifies the nutrient flows between soils, crops and livestock. Flows are expressed in kilograms nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (nutrient flows), but also in monetary values (financial flows). The quantified nutrient flows explain which activities within a farm are nutrient consuming and which activities are accumulating nutrients, and how and when nutrients flow from one activity to another. The quantified financial flows give insight in the profitability of activities (crops, livestock, fishponds, compost pits) and labour demands.

Soil sampling and analysis provides essential information concerning the current nutrient status of the soils. A variety of existing participatory tools can be used to collect and analyze the perceptions of other stakeholders concerning the current soil fertility problems. The quantitative results of the NUTMON-Toolbox, combined with the often, qualitative information from the other stakeholders, provides a solid base for an appropriate, thorough and participatory diagnosis. Products of this phase are quantified nutrient flows and stocks, financial performance indicators, flow diagrams, ranking of problems and possible solutions and historic descriptions of farm management. During the process the perceptions and strategies of various stakeholders (farmers, researcher, extension) and biophysical and economic boundary conditions surface, resulting in a common understanding of the problem.

Development phase

The development phase that follows can be executed at two different scales. At farm level a process of participatory technology development is launched, aiming at identification and development of technologies to address the problems identified in the diagnostic phase. Based on the diagnosis, farmers prioritise technologies, which are tested on-farm. For instance negative nutrient balances caused by large outflows of erosion and leaching may call for soil and water conservation technologies. In a situation where negative nutrient balances are caused by low application levels of external inputs may call for changes in the marketing infrastructure to make external inputs more attractive.

The NUTMON-Toolbox plays an important role in monitoring and evaluation of the impact of applied technologies by providing scientific and quantitative information. Similar to the diagnostic phase, other tools and methods are applied to arrive at an impact evaluation by farmers (De Jager et al., 1998; Vlaming et al., 1997).At regional level a participatory policy development process can be launched. The results of farm diagnosis of the major farming systems in a region are scaled up to regional level, and policy makers are confronted with it. In discussions between farmers, scientists and policy makers policy interventions are defined. It is noted that the NUTMON-Toolbox can not be used to simulate impacts of technology or policy options.

In both phases knowledge and experiences are tapped from both science-based and local knowledge systems to arrive at most appropriate solutions. The process of integration of these knowledge systems results in research capacity building for both farmers (learning how to conduct applied research) and researchers (increasing knowledge of farm management practices).