By Kebba AF Touray
An audit report on the provision of farm inputs by the Government revealed that the last soil fertility mapping for the country was done in 1990, under the GAAP project.
According to the National Audit Office, there has not been any soil mapping in the Gambia for the past three and a half decades.
The audit office disclosed this in their report on the absence of a comprehensive soil testing result segment in their follow-up performance audit report on the provision of farm inputs (seeds and fertilizer) to farmers in July 2024. This has also been based on the principle of integrated plant nutrition systems and soil fertility research needs, to explore all possible sources of plant nutrients in an integrated manner appropriate to each farming situation.
According to NAO, the MoA indicated that an Atomic Absorption Spectro-photometer (AA Server) which is a comprehensive soil testing machine was commissioned and soil fertility mapping was done. It added that physical verification was done at the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) soil testing laboratory which confirmed that in 2022, the FAO procured an AA Server machine, which was installed at the NARI head office, adding that the MoA also acquired an AA Server in 2022 but its installation was delayed as the designated space needed preparation in Sapu at CRR/S was not available at the time.
The audit report disclosed that the AA Server obtained by FAO has a higher capacity compared to the one acquired by the MoA, and said at the time of their verification, neither of these AA Servers was operational due to limited technical capacity among NARI personnel.
Despite FAO organizing a three-day training session, the audit report said this duration was insufficient to adequately equip staff with the necessary skills to operate such sophisticated machinery, and this ultimately defeated the intended purpose of procuring these advanced servers.
The audit office said that the proof requested from NARI for the training activities included in their budget in 2021, was not provided, and said NARI must expedite adequate training and support to ensure the proper functioning of this advanced equipment.
According to the audit office, NARI is in the process of setting up this essential equipment, including the installation of the AA Server machine, to initiate soil fertility mapping activities as part of their agricultural research endeavors.
This crucial step will facilitate the accurate assessment and spatial analysis of soil properties for informed decision-making in agricultural practices and land management.
