Soil Expert Gives Farmers Tips in the Dominican Republic

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deforestation is prevalent throughout the province
Last Tuesday, it was Independence Day for the Dominican Republic! So, here is a blog about some awesome work that is happening there now!
Soil expert Jeff Knowles visited a staggering fifteen farms as he engaged with informal discussions with community leaders and farmers on soil quality. Mission ILAC is an organization that focuses on agricultural problems in the remote  and poorer communities in the Santiago and La Vega provinces. A principal goal is to work directly with community leaders to help farmers achieve food sustainability while also reducing chemical usage. 
ILAC focuses on cacao and rust resistant varieties of coffee to reverse the effects of farms devastated by coffee rust. Deforestation is extensive in the region due to severe coffee rust years ago followed by the conversion of forest to pastureland as farmers switched to cattle raising. Because of this, Jeff focused on discussions and training centered around soil conservation methods to maintain soil quality.
ILAC agronomist Naciso doing a soil analysis 
A reoccurring discussion point was addressing the misconception of leaving soil bare between planting seasons. This method destroys the existing microorganisms. Instead, the discussions addressed how the soil should be seen as a living organism and nurtured with consistent amount of nutrients. Establishing a habitat for soil microbes is vital and can be achieved by covering the soil with plant growth and farm waste. This is crucial to the goal of building resilience to climate change as well because if soil is covered, it can re-absorb atmospheric carbon.
Training the trainer was a prominent methodology used by Jeff and our Field Officer, Jose, to equip the ILAC agronomists (Naciso and Otavio) with proper tools to pass onto the farming communities that ILAC serves.  Jeff and the team visited farms and entered into discussions about proper soil management and soil analysis in the lab using the soil from the visited farm.
Jeff also left behind various guide-sheets on best management practices and PowerPoint presentations to review methods of improving soil quality and sustaining long-term health. Looking forward, Jeff is confident that farmers will see positive yields and subsequent profits as a result of using some of these techniques to improve soil health.



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