IICA Promotes Sustainable Soil Management

Grenada; Nov. 17-20, 2015: The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), in collaboration with the University of the West Indies (UWI), conducted a four-day regional training course on Sustainable Soil Management and Adaptation to Climate Change which took place in Grenada. Eight Grenadians and three participants from each of the islands of St Kitts & Nevis and Saint Lucia benefited from the training course. The Course consisted of both theory and practical field trips with the presenters being  Dr. Gaius Eudoxie from UWI and Mr Kervin  Stephenson from IICA. A ‘Certificate of Participation’ was presented to each participant at the end of the course.

Agriculture impacts every aspect of the planetary boundaries: nitrous oxide from chemical fertilisers, eutrophication of the sea, excessive use of water for irrigation of crops, and loss of biodiversity - but with proper land use and adaptation measures such adverse impacts on the soil and its environment will be reduced.

The course entailed training approaches to sustainable land management and promoted the importance of chemical, biological and physical functions of the soil to maintain its health for the growth of crops. The addition of organic matter to the soil and the ability to evaluate the various indices of the different soil types as a measure of its health were also promoted.

The workshop was hailed a success as the participants were able to identify some of the gaps needed for improving land management which included: the deve- lopment of a national strategy for sustainable land management; and use of soil management indices to evaluate soil health at the national, community and farm levels.