Soils, Crops and Fertilizer Use: Chapter 9: Using chemical fertilizers: Are chemical fertilizers appropriate for limited-resource farmers?

Soils, Crops and Fertilizer Use

Chapter 9: Using chemical fertilizers

		What are chemical fertilizers?
		Are chemical fertilizers appropriate for limited-resource farmers?
		An introduction to chemical fertilizers
		Common chemical fertilizers and their characteristics
		The effect of fertilizers on soil pH
		Fertilizer salt index and "burn" potential
		Basic application principles for N, P, and K
		Fertilizer application methods explained and compared
		Troubleshooting faulty fertilizer practices
		Getting the most out of fertilizer use: crop management as an integrated system
		Understanding fertilizer math

Are chemical fertilizers appropriate for limited-resource farmers?

We dealt with this issue in detail at the start of Chapter 8 where the overall advantages of organic fertilizers were stressed. It was recommended that farmers be urged to maximize the practical usage of organics wherever feasible. On the other hand, it was also pointed out that many farmers may not have enough available to cover all their crop land. In such cases, chemical fertilizers are often very cost-effective if capital or credit is available. It's not unusual to receive a return of $3-$10 for every $1 spent on chemical fertilizers, especially when they're used along with other complementary management practices. However, chemical fertilizers require more skill to use than organics in terms of rate determinations, dosage calculation, timing, and placement.