Farmer Survey of SoilCares Foundation confirms: soil test informed fertilizer selection boosts yields and has a positive return on investment.

In 2019 SoilCares Foundation performed a farmer survey among 14 farmers in Kenya who had their soil tested by the SoilCares Scanner. The tests were offered through the network of Service Providers and farmers were called at the end of the growing season to ask about their experiences. 

The results showed that 65% of the respondents appreciated the recommendations of the SoilCares Scanner as “very good”. The remaining 35% ranked the recommendations as “good”. Also, more than 50% of the respondents fully implemented the recommendations, which is a high score for an innovative recommendation which often has adoption rates around 25%.

The farmers who did not adopt the recommendations faced problems with input supply but were still happy with the results and adapted their practices as much as they could. Most importantly, more than 55% of the farmers reported yields increments of more than 50% and all respondents indicated that their yield revenues outcompeted the costs of the soil test by far. 

Although the sample size is limited, this study confirms the proof of concept of the SoilCares Scanner and its adviser application for smallholder farmers in Kenya. SoilCares Foundation is committed to continuing impact monitoring of innovations in the field of soil testing and crop yields. 

very informative, the acidic in my farm was really straining the plants and results were very low yield

 Quote from the farmer

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