PROGRESS REPORT

36 PROGRESS REPORT PROGRAM LEVEL PROGRESS REPORT 37
Confluence Point and Woreda Soil Fertility Survey Status (31 August 2015)
Confluence point
Completed (455 Woredas)
To be Completed during 2016
3. Investments in logistics and IT:
• Ammonium Nitrate storage with a capacity
of 20 terabytes to hold the EthioSIS master
database and geo-statistical modeling data
• One powerful satellite image processing
server to enhance the processing capacity
of the geo-statistical model
• Arc GIS software for geo-statistical analysis
and map making
EthioSIS is a milestone in Ethiopia’s history of soil
fertility analysis and fertilizer recommendations.
Due to its considerable achievements, efforts
are underway to streamline the project within
the agriculture sector, beginning with the federal
level and expanding its findings to contribute
to livestock development, identifying soils that
need special care, conducting land use planning,
and preparing a soil resource data sharing policy,
among others. In addition, work is underway to
revise the fertilizer policy, strategy and production
and marketing proclamation. Discussions are also
underway to establish a fertilizer industry agency
to regulate the fertilizer supply chain and quality.
Finally, EthioSIS has begun to serve as a model
for many other African countries with which it has
shared its experiences, leading to preparations by
Nigeria, Ghana and Tanzania to undertake similar
initiatives.
factories to be established through publicprivate
partnerships, such as the soluble fertilizer
blending plant under construction in Debre Birhan
(Amhara), set to make its products available to
end-users by April 2016.
In parallel with specific solutions on soil
mapping, fertilizer recommendation and blending
activities, EthioSIS has also addressed the
need for extensive capacity building in these
and related areas to ensure sustainability
of these interventions. This has focused on
human resources, laboratory facilities and IT
infrastructure for the National Soil Testing Center
(NSTC) and regional laboratories in Bahir Dar,
Hawassa, Mekelle and Nekemte, as well as
the agricultural research center in Jima. More
specifically, efforts have included:
1. Introducing new technologies and
methodologies, such as:
• Geo-referenced field soil information
collection mechanism
• Multi-nutrient soil chemical analysis
methodology (Mehlich III)
• IR spectroscopy and laser diffraction particle
size distribution analysis techniques
• Automated multi-nutrient analyzers such
as Microwave plasma-Atomic Emission
Spectrometer & IR spectrometers, and laser
scattering particle size distribution analyzers
2. Training relevant staff on:
• Laboratory management and good
laboratory practices
• Linux, VMware, meta data and soil database
management
• Geo-statistics and other prediction models,
and spectral data analysis and interpretation
• Training for fertilizer blending staff on
technical operations
• Fertilizer handling and storage
• Scientifically and technically replicable soil
sampling procedures and methodologies