Field Guide of Discovery-based Exercises for - Aseanipm ...

Exercise No. 3.01 45
LIVING SOIL: A QUICk INTRODUCTORY EXERCISE
FOR FARMER FIELD SCHOOL IN ORGANIC VEGETABLE
PRODUCTION
BaCKGroUND aND raTIoNalE 46
People are dependent on soils; and to a certain extent, good
soils are dependent upon people and the use they make
of them. Soils are natural bodies on which plants grow.
Society enjoys and uses these plants because of their beauty
and ability to supply fiber and food for humans and animals.
Standards of living are often determined by quality of
soils and kinds and quality of living things (e.g., plants and
animals) grown on them.
52
Field Guide of Discovery-based Exercises for Organic Vegetable Production
when is this exercise most
appropriate?
ɶ In FFS, TOT, and VST
sessions, before land
preparation as component
of ‘Integrated Nutrient
Management’ and ‘Soil
Biodiversity’ topics; and
ɶ When farmers want to
learn from others some
practical concepts and
principles in improving
soil fertility and
productivity.
Of six major factors affecting plant growth, only light is not supplied by soils. The soil supplies
water, air, and mechanical support for plant roots as well as heat to enhance chemical reactions. It
also supplies seventeen plant nutrients that are essential for plant growth. These nutrients are slowly
released from unavailable forms in solid framework of minerals and organic matter to exchangeable
cations associated with soil colloids and finally to readily available ions in soil solution. The ability
of soils to provide these ions in a proper balance determines their primary value to humankind.
Likewise, soils harbor varied and abundant population of living organisms from larger rodents
through worms and insects to tiniest bacteria. As a result, the quality of living things in soils is
sufficient to influence profoundly physical and chemical trend of soil changes. Virtually, all natural
soil reactions are directly or indirectly biochemical in nature.
Hence, to assure an early appreciation of a living soil among participants, this quick introductory
exercise will simply list some basic characteristics that define living organisms, in contrast to nonliving
things. This exercise will be a reference point for later discussion on nutritional and energy
needs of plants while we talk about soil as a ‘living thing’. In FFSs, these experiences must be
shared among farmers and facilitators to gain practical concepts and principles in improving soil
fertility and productivity. This exercise was designed to achieve this particular objective.
45 Adapted from Corado, M. 2008. Living Soil Exercises Developed for Farmer Field School. Reference material distributed during a Write-shop to
Develop A Field Guide of Discovery-based Exercises for FFS of IPM on Organic Vegetable Farming conducted in the Philippines on 17-19 June 2008
at the Headquarters, Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD), Los Baños, Laguna,
Philippines. 105p.
46 Brady, N.C. 1985. The nature and properties of soils. 9 th Edition. Macmillan Publishing Co., 866 3 rd Ave., New York, New York, U.S.A. pp1-33.