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Effects of Fertilizer Broadcasting on the Excessive Use of Inorganic Fertilizers and Environmental Sustainability

K. M. Atikur Rahman
School of Sociology and Political Science, Shanghai University, 99, Shangda Road, Shanghai 200444, China

Dunfu Zhang*
School of Sociology and Political Science, Shanghai University, 99, Shangda Road, Shanghai 200444, China

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

The excessive use of inorganic fertilizers causes serious environmental degradation, resulting in lower crop yields in Bangladesh. Seventy percent of Bangladesh farmers practice traditional fertilizer broadcasting. In the 1960s, the Bangladesh state authority launched a ‘Grow More Food’ campaign to feed the country’s increasing population. Farmers were supplied with chemical fertilizers and pesticides at a subsidized price. Farmers increased the frequency of fertilizer applications to enhance yields. These practices are still used and have caused significant environmental degradation. In this study, we examined the effects of fertilizer broadcasting on excessive use of fertilizer and environmental risks. We collected data from 211 Bangladesh infield farmers in 2016. Respondents were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed by applying a binary logistic regression model to test the degree of effects between the testable variables. The study found that the effect of broadcasting on the excessive use of fertilizers is strongly significant, at 1%. It also found that younger farmers have a significant effect at 10% on the excessive use of fertilizers. Bangladesh policymakers can formulate policy on sustainable fertilizer management, introducing different placement methods on the basis of this finding. After that, the Directorate of Agricultural Extension (DAE) can carry out the policy at the field level.

Keywords: Excessive use of fertilizers; Environmental degradation; Fertilizer broadcasting; Rental land farming; Placement method; Sustainable fertilizer management

Location: In Bangladesh

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Crop-Soil-Water Management

Commodity: Chemical fertilizer, Environmental change

Objectives:

Finding no suitable alternative approach or model, Bangladeshi farmers customarily use fertilizer broadcasting, as it is a convenient and less time-consuming practice. A good number of fertilizer technologies have been discussed, which can be categorized into three groups: the nutrient diagnosing approach; fertilizer for high yielding and efficient fertilizer application methods. Previous theoretical studies have shown that controlled-release urea achieves more efficient fertilization. Placement and banding methods are very popular; in Bangladesh, the placement method might be the best suited.

Methodology:

2.1. Data Collection To collect data on fertilizer application methods, we opted for anonymous, semi-structured, personal interviews with farmers. The method we approached is effective (face-to-face, focus group discussion, and phone interviews) for data collection, as semi-structured interviews give farmers an opportunity to explain, increasing the response rate by finished questionnaires. We conducted the interview with respondents selected by two-stage cluster sampling. Our questionnaire consisted of 18 questions categorized into four parts: (i) farmers’ personal data (for example, sex, age, education, income, family members, and family bearing capability); (ii) farmers’ knowledge level about environmental sustainability (for example, their understanding of environmental sustainability, fertilization methods, training, and amount of fertilizer application); (iii) farmers’ capital (land ownership, land rental status, amount of fertilization in rental lands, availability of fertilizers); and (iv) fertilizer governance (for example, the role of agricultural extension agents and availability of soil testing). A copy of the interview questions appears at the end of this study in the supplementary materials. The questionnaire was prepared in non-scientific language for clarity for the farmers. The set of questions was developed upon consultation with a number of researchers and experts to can maintain scientific ethics and be easier for the farmers to complete. A pilot study was conducted with eight farmers before the full study to prove its quality.

2.1.1. Sampling and Study Sites Bangladesh is located in South Asia at 23.8^o N and 90.3^o E. In Bangladesh, agriculture is one of the most important sectors and is characterized by a large number of small farmers. The agricultural sector contributes 21% to gross domestic product (GDP) and employs about 50% of the labor force. Rice is the staple food for a population of about 160 million and provides over 70% of direct calorie intake in the country. Four out of 64 districts in Bangladesh were selected for data collection by two-stage cluster sampling. Cluster sampling assumes that selection of a household within a cluster is not independent of the selection of other households; members of a cluster are therefore likely to be similar. A household was defined as a family with one head of household eating and sleeping under the same roof. Two-stage cluster sampling aims to minimize survey costs and control the uncertainty related to estimates of interest; a simple case of multistage sampling, it selects cluster samples in the first stage and then selects a sample of elements from every sampled cluster.

The four districts include Manikganj, Noakhli, Dinajpur, and Moulvibazar. The villages Dhakaijora, in Manikganj, and Sondolpur, in Noakhali, were randomly picked for data acquisition. Shibganj was selected from Dinajpur and Baraoura from Moulvibazar. We interviewed 61 farm households in Dhakaijora, 54 in Sondolpur, 46 in Dinajpur, and 50 in Moulvibazar following simple random sampling for a total of 211 farm households. The districts chosen are agriculturally important and diversified in terms of agricultural patterns, farmers’ agricultural practices, topographical difference, and nature of fertilization; however, the demographic features of all clusters are homogeneous. For the diversification of these agricultural areas, the credibility and reliability of the data can be considered high, as there is an established relationship between researchers and farmers.

2.1.2. Data Process and Analysis Data, collected from interviews was input directly into SPSS for Windows (Version 16.0., SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA,) for statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics have been divided into line graphs, for showing comparative fertilizer consumption between the world average and Bangladesh, and tabular statistics showing the basic socioeconomic and demographic features of farmers. Percentile, standard deviation, and variance options were employed in our description. To estimate the correlation and effect of the variables, we applied binary logistic regression.

Source of Information: Sustainability 2018, 10, 759;

Article Link (Online Journal): doi:10.3390/su10030759

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

In such conditions, fertilizer application methods and technologies might be transformed to meet up the emerging demands. But there are also many vulnerable farmers in Bangladesh, due to a lack of proper education, financial obstacles, technological disadvantages, and little cooperation with extension agencies. Precision farming (PF) increases profitability, optimizes yield and quality, and reduces cost and environmental impact. Education, technical skills, familiarity with computers, and the age of farmers were found to be decisive factors in PF adoption. In the study, 47.4% of respondent farmers are not formally educated, 36.4% are less than 30 years old, and 84.8% of them are of low income (less than BDT 6000). The farmers, thus, hardly adopt the advanced technology of fertilization and practice broadcasting method for higher turnover. Spinner spreaders and granular urea application machines could hardly be used at field level. Leaf color chart (LCC) technology and chlorophyll meters have not yet been used to diagnose the nutrient scale of plant leaves for sustainable fertilizer management. There is a significant association between mass inorganic fertilization and technological non-advancement, a lack of scientific knowledge, a shortage of proper information, and smallholder farm size. Gains in crop yield and higher earnings are positively correlated with intensive fertilizer use. The socio-economic conditions of Bangladesh lead to broadcasting significant amounts of fertilizer. Researchers have developed urea super granules (USG) technology suited to Bangladeshi agriculture, but its adoption rate is very low as it is a labor intensive and time-consuming technology. Farmers cannot apply it, in consideration of their low turnover.

We find that traditional fertilizer broadcasting has a significant effect on the excessive use of inorganic fertilizers and younger farmers are also significantly associated with excessive fertilization. Fertilizer broadcasting creates obstacles to both agricultural and environmental sustainability in Bangladesh. Fertilizer placement might be one solution for sustainable fertilizer management given the context of Bangladesh farmers’ socioeconomic and demographic status. Efficient fertilizer placement is attracting increasing interest as tillage systems change, economic profitability becomes tighter and environmental awareness increases. When soil test facilities are low, soil moisture and/or precipitation is limited, or land is rented, and when fertilizer efficiency and economic return are to be maximized, localized placement methods are strongly recommended for small grains and corn.

Deep, drill, row and side dressing placement methods could be recommended based on soil quality, crop type, weather condition, and farmers’ social background. For example, seed and fertilizer together can be deposited while sowing. These methods are significantly viable for cereal crops, cotton, and grasses. In row placement, fertilizers are placed in a continuous band on one or both sides of the seedlings or seeds, when seeds and plants are sown together. This process is very useful for sugarcane, potato, maize, tobacco, cereals, and vegetable crops. In growing crops, fertilizers are usually spread by hand between and around rows. Maize, sugarcane, tobacco, and cereal crops are best suited to this method.

Between paddy rows, fertilizers can be deposited 2.5–5.0 cm deep using the deep placement method. In tightly spaced crops such as pulses and legumes, broadcasting is an efficient process. Placement is less effective for crops that provide small yield. Policymakers can formulate fertilizer policy emphasizing the implementation of placement methods so that fertilizer management and environmental services can be efficient.

Knowledge Management: Journal