article · Applied and Environmental Soil Science
Agriculture drives the Ethiopian economy, supplying processing industries and export earnings, yet production suffers from low technological adoption, inadequate infrastructure, and heavy reliance on rainfall. Severe soil nutrient depletion threatens crop yields, with annual national losses estimated at 122 kilograms of nitrogen, 13 kilograms of phosphorus, and 82 kilograms of potassium per hectare. To counter this depletion, synthetic fertiliser application has expanded steadily, primarily through the distribution of urea and diammonium phosphate. Between 1996 and 2018, chemical fertiliser consumption tripled from 12 kilograms per hectare to 36.2 kilograms per hectare. Concurrently, average yields for major cereals rose from 16.5 quintals per hectare in 2009 to 23.94 quintals per hectare in 2018. Alongside synthetic inputs, consideration is given to the role of alternative biofertiliser options for soil fertility management.
Maintaining soil health is essential for sustaining crop yields in economies heavily reliant on agriculture. Tracking trends in fertiliser consumption, nutrient depletion, and harvest output helps agricultural planners understand whether current nutrient replacement strategies adequately counteract soil degradation and support long-term food production.
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This paper reviews relevant facts and statistics about the benefits and impacts of the growing use of chemical fertilizer with a focus on soil fertility, crop productivity, and alternative sources of biofertilizers. Agriculture in Ethiopia is the main source of the economy, and it is the key contributor of the export value and provider of raw materials to processing industries. However, Ethiopian agronomical production is characterized by low output, lack of infrastructure, and low level of technology and is enormously dependent on rainfall availability. In Ethiopia, soil fertility reduction is evolving as a serious contest causing low crop yields, and research findings reported that, at the country level, nutrient balance indicated a depletion rate of 122 kg N ha−1 yr−1, 13 kg P ha−1 yr−1, and 82 kg K ha−1 yr−1. To control soil fertility depletion, primarily fertilizers are used as the source of essential plant nutrients. In Ethiopia, the use of chemical fertilizers to increase crop production was low relative to other developing countries; however, now, it is steadily increasing. Urea and diammonium phosphate are common practices for maintaining soil fertility. Chemical fertilizer consumption increased from 12 kg/ha in 1996 to 36.2 kg/ha in 2018. The main cereals’ production increased from 16.5 quintal/ha in 2009 to 23.94 quintal/ha in 2018.
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DOI: 10.1155/2022/4738416
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