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

Section 3 • Living Soil, Integrated Soil Nutrient and Crop Managements
How long will this exercise take?
• Thirty minutes to one hour for field walks, observations, and hands-on of soil profiles in
adjoining and learning fields; and
• Thirty minutes to one hour for brainstorming session in a processing area.
learning objectives
• To make participants aware of and understand how soil profile analysis can be used in deciding
appropriate cultural management practices to improve soil fertility and productivity; and
• To learn innovative soil management practices from other farmers and do hands-on of soil
profile analysis.
materials
• Soil profiles in adjoining and learning fields used in ‘Soil Biodiversity’ exercise;
• Office supplies (e.g., Manila papers, notebooks, ball pens, and marking pens); and
• Other supplies (e.g., plastic bags, ruler, meter stick or steel tape, shovel, crowbars, magnifying
lens, and bolo).
methodology
• Field walks, hands-on, and brainstorming
steps
1. Divide participants in small groups and ask them to conduct field walks and observe different
soil profiles in adjoining fields of learning field so that different soil types could be described.
The following suggestions may be tried, thus:
5 Group I to observe rolling forest soil profile (e.g., undisturbed forest trees are grown)
5 Group II to observe rolling brush land soil profile (e.g., plants grow as tall as 1-2 meters)
5 Group III to observe stiff grassland soil profile (e.g., plants grow less than 1 meter tall)
5 Group IV to observe flat crop land soil profile (e.g., vegetable crops are grown)
5 Group V to observe plain barren land soil (e.g., no crop or other plant is grown)
2. Each group marks a 1-m 2 quadrant of soil surface with the use of pegs and nylon twine to secure
corners of quadrant and perform activities below:
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