Organic Fertilisation

Needs Address

• Food production
• Agricultural sustainability
• Food security
• Sustainable livelihoods

Adaptation effects

• Build resilient food systems through farm diversification and building soil fertility with organic matter
• Restores and avoids degraded soil
• Increased yields and better long-term productivity
• Enhanced soil water retention/drainage for better response to droughts and floods and decreased irrigation needs

Overview and Features

The use of organic rather than chemical fertiliser to aid crop growth and sustain soil nutrients

Cost

• Cost of organic fertiliser
• Cost of using/applying

Energy source

Human labour

Ease of maintenance

Easily maintained subject to availability of organic fetiliser

Technology performance

Contributes to production of certified organic products that offer higher income options for farmers and can therefore serve as promoters for climate-friendly farming practices worldwide

Considerations

• When soil is not so degraded that it can be restored through use of organic fertiliser
• Should be used in tandem with complementary organic agricultural management practices

Co-benefit, suitability for developing countries

• Careful nutrient management reduced N2O emissions from soils
• Carbon sequestration and emission reduction potential by abstention from mineral fertilizers
• Offers alternatives to energy-intensive production inputs such as synthetic fertilizers which are limited for poor rural populations due to rising energy prices
• Achieve equal or even higher yields, as compared to the current conventional practices in developing countries
• Can enhance agricultural communities that have no access to purchased inputs, which is the case of the majority of the rural poor
• Financial advantages to farmers include less machinery costs, fuel savings, labour savings, input savings, more resilience to disaster risks and extreme weather events, better water efficiency and offset from carbon sequestration, though lack of immediate returns has been found to act as a barrier
• Limitations include lack of cultural acceptance, knowledge gaps, adverse policies and opposed lobby interests

Information Resources

Bantilan, M.C.S. and Mohan, G. 2012. Adaptation to Climate Change in Agriculture in Selected Asian Countries: Insights from micro-level studies and implications for policy. ICRISAT. Policy Brief No. 25. Available from: http://www.seachangecop.org/sites/default/files/documents/2012%2008%20ICRISAT%20-%20Adaptation%20to%20CC%20in%20Agriculture.pdf [15 November 2014]

Scialabba, N.E. and Mu¨ller-Lindenlauf, M. 2010. Organic agriculture and climate change. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems: 25(2); 158–169.