Thu, 5 Oct 2023 12:33:44 +1100
Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>
<https://news.mongabay.com/2023/07/morocco-rolls-out-a-phosphorous-fueled-plan-to-heal-soils-across-africa/>
"BEN GUERIR, Morocco — Moussa Bouray sifts through hundreds of soil samples on
the shelves of his lab that that will undergo analysis for nutrients: nitrogen,
potassium, and especially phosphorus. Outside the lab at Mohammed VI
Polytechnic University, mounds of phosphate sediment from a nearby mine rise so
high they resemble mountains in the distance. These piles are loaded with
phosphorus, a key ingredient in fertilizers. But some of Bouray’s soil samples,
which come from farms across Morocco, will still be phosphorous-deficient.
Bouray’s work is part of a larger effort to improve soil fertility, not only in
Morocco but across Africa. Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, known locally as
UM6P, has plans for more agriculture labs, dubbed experimental farms, beyond
Morocco; Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Ghana, Ethiopia and seven other countries are
on the list. Together, the labs will form a network called the Agricultural
Innovation and Technology Transfer Center. It’s an initiative funded by UM6P
and Morocco’s multibillion-dollar phosphate company, OCP Group, which founded
the university in 2013.
Bouray and the other scientists at this lab are like doctors for farmers’
soils. They analyze the samples to create diagnoses — such as a phosphorus
deficiency or acidity — to recommend fertilizer applications or specific
farming practices.
In the past, Moroccans followed standard fertilizer recommendations to add
nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to their soil regardless of location,
climate, crop or other factors, says Rachid Serraj, director of strategy and
Africa initiative at UM6P. “Now, we realize that it doesn’t really work. It’s
like if you’re treating everybody with aspirin.”
Instead, their teams are turning toward precision agriculture by tailoring
farming practices to each farm. “You cannot just have blanket recommendations,”
Serraj tells Mongabay. “We want to design the fertilizer to the specific needs
of those crops.”"
Via Future Crunch:
<https://futurecrunch.com/good-news-school-meals-transit-us-ecuador-conservation/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
"BEN GUERIR, Morocco — Moussa Bouray sifts through hundreds of soil samples on
the shelves of his lab that that will undergo analysis for nutrients: nitrogen,
potassium, and especially phosphorus. Outside the lab at Mohammed VI
Polytechnic University, mounds of phosphate sediment from a nearby mine rise so
high they resemble mountains in the distance. These piles are loaded with
phosphorus, a key ingredient in fertilizers. But some of Bouray’s soil samples,
which come from farms across Morocco, will still be phosphorous-deficient.
Bouray’s work is part of a larger effort to improve soil fertility, not only in
Morocco but across Africa. Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, known locally as
UM6P, has plans for more agriculture labs, dubbed experimental farms, beyond
Morocco; Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Ghana, Ethiopia and seven other countries are
on the list. Together, the labs will form a network called the Agricultural
Innovation and Technology Transfer Center. It’s an initiative funded by UM6P
and Morocco’s multibillion-dollar phosphate company, OCP Group, which founded
the university in 2013.
Bouray and the other scientists at this lab are like doctors for farmers’
soils. They analyze the samples to create diagnoses — such as a phosphorus
deficiency or acidity — to recommend fertilizer applications or specific
farming practices.
In the past, Moroccans followed standard fertilizer recommendations to add
nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to their soil regardless of location,
climate, crop or other factors, says Rachid Serraj, director of strategy and
Africa initiative at UM6P. “Now, we realize that it doesn’t really work. It’s
like if you’re treating everybody with aspirin.”
Instead, their teams are turning toward precision agriculture by tailoring
farming practices to each farm. “You cannot just have blanket recommendations,”
Serraj tells Mongabay. “We want to design the fertilizer to the specific needs
of those crops.”"
Via Future Crunch:
<https://futurecrunch.com/good-news-school-meals-transit-us-ecuador-conservation/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
