PARTICIPATORY SOIL IMPROVEMENT: A CUBAN CASE STUDY IN FERTILITY MANAGEMENT
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Abstract
an uncertain supply of petroleum-based fertilizers are a threat
to global food security. Although research has developed lowinput
technical solutions to improve the soil resource, such
technologies are rarely adopted by small farmers in the global
south. With the goal of increasing farmer adoption of soil building
practices, a case study in the community of San Andrés,
Cuba, tested a participatory methodology to explore local
knowledge, identify research technologies to meet community
needs, and catalyze farmer innovation on the selected
technologies. Through qualitative research, this study
explored the corpus, praxis, and kosmos that the community
held to conceptualize, manage, and make decisions about their
soils. Analysis of ethnopedology indicated that although
individuals recognized the degrading quality of their soils,
and shared a wider goal of long-term land improvement,
existing nutrient management strategies were inadequate to
satisfy crop needs. Results suggested that introducing new
technologies to the community could accelerate the formation
of a more appropriate praxis. To satisfy nutrient management
needs, green manures and compost were identified as the best
suited technologies to existing production systems. Then, a
�??soil fertility fair�?� joined researchers and community members,
to experiment with green manures and compost, and evaluate
the most feasible types to local conditions. The paper considers
the fair as a gateway to sustainable soil management through
farmer innovation. To help guide the future design of
participatory soil improvement, the paper expounds lessons
learned from a research experience with ethnopedology and
soil fairs.
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