Increase in The Use of Organic Fertilizers as Complements to Inorganic Fertilizers in Maintenance of Soil Fertility and Environmental Sustainability

Soil fertility can be considered in different ways, depending on land use. In intensively managed cropping systems, soil fertility can be defined in terms of the temporal value of products produced relative to inputs used, including the economic aspects of nutrient budgeting. For environmentally sustainable soil productivity, an integral use of both organic and inorganic fertilizer to ensure adequate supply of plant nutrients and sustain maximum crop yield and profitability is advocated. However, inorganic fertilizer is expensive and largely unaffordable to the resource-poor farmers found mostly across sub sahara Africa. Being readily available as a cheap source of nutrients, organic inputs, including poultry manure should complement inorganic fertilizers. Organic fertilizers supply the essential macro- and micro-nutrient elements to plants, as well as improve soil physico-chemical conditions for better crop growth and yield.

Keywords: Integrated soil fertility management; Crop production; Organic fertilizer; Inorganic fertilizer