Restoring soil fertility

Increasing salinity of agricultural lands is rendering them unsuitable for farming or their productivity is decreasing

Increasing salinity of agricultural lands in Pakistan is rendering them either altogether unsuitable for farming or their productivity has gradually been decreasing. Salinity has affected around 2.5 million acres. The country being water-stressed has further aggravated the problem. Farm scientists have regularly been working to find cost-effective solutions to the problem so that land hit by salinity can be brought under cultivation, and also to increase crop yields in arid zones. Scientists in Punjab province have developed a new technique to make land rendered unfit for agriculture productive. The new method has been applied in some semi-arid regions successfully as guava, lemon and orange orchards have been grown there in saline land. Now guava and apricot orchards have been planted in saline-hit lands in some areas of Shah Kot, and trees are growing satisfactorily. These lands had been barren for around a century.

The new technique basically involves the use of marine weeds. The weeds are used in the water that irrigates the saline land setting off a chain reaction that resuscitates the soil’s fertility. Earthworms are produced which sucks the earth’s salinity and the worms also help generate nutrients for the soil. Other methods of restoring soil fertility involve the use of expensive fertiliser and chemicals. As the new technique reactivates soil fertility at little cost, it will make it possible to bring more and more barren lands under cultivation, thereby increasing job opportunities and prosperity in rural areas and food production in the country. The new technique needs to be encouraged as it will help save irrigation water, much needed in water-deficient countries. Benefits of the new farming method are innumerable.

As is to be expected, in the initial stages, experiments with the new method are facing a few bumps. Some experts say the major problem is that high temperature in summer would kill the worms. This can be overcome by further research. There is no point in being upset by the results of the work one does not do.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 24^th, 2020.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.