The National Soil Services Center (NSSC) conducted two days of hands-on training on handling and operating the mobile soil testing kits at the Agriculture and Research Center (ARDC), Bajo. Seven participants, including the soil focal point and an alternate official from the ARDCs and the National Center for Organic Programs (NCOA), participated in the training. The main objectives of the training were to sensitize the participants to the importance of soil testing as a prerequisite and crucial for efficient farm management and successful agriculture production. The second objective was to demonstrate and train the participants on the fundamental operation of the mobile soil testing kits and soil result interpretation.

Except for one lecture, the training mainly focused on practical sessions wherein the trainees had the opportunity to operate the mobile soil testing kits. The trainees learned to test the three primary plant nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. In addition, they also learned to evaluate organic carbon, soil pH, and electrical conductivity.

All the participants were extremely interested in getting an opportunity to learn and operate the mobile soil testing kits, as they are easy to use and portable, and most importantly, they are an effective means of making fertilizer recommendations based on the soil test.

Currently, most of our farmers barely carry out the soil testing, and on average, only about 10–15% of our farming communities carry out the soil testing annually. It is obvious that the majority of farmers apply fertilizers or manage crop nutrients without proper soil testing. This results in either too little or no fertilizer application or excess fertilizer rates, resulting in inefficient use, lower crop yield, soil health deterioration, and pollution of water resources.

Soil testing is an essential component of sustainable land use. The availability of accurate and simple soil test kits, designed for soil testing in the field, is an obvious advantage to growers, extension agents, agronomists, and researchers. This soil testing kit can assist farming communities in detecting soil nutrient deficiencies, thereby helping farmers make the necessary soil amendments and the right dose of fertilizer applications to achieve their target crop yield.

At the end of the training program, the NSSC handed the soil testing kits to the soil focal point and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU). The primary objective of the MOU was to ensure proper use of the soil testing kits at ARDC and NCOA. Through the MOU, the NSSC will provide technical feedback and facilitate the procurement of the reagents as and when needed, and the ARDCs will periodically carry out the soil testing and submit a work progress report at the end of the financial year.

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