Animal Manure-Derived Organic Amendments with Additives for Enhanced Primary Nutrient Availability Ubaidullah Haji Mat Yassin, Osumanu Haruna Ahmed and Mohamed Najim Mohamed Mujithaba
Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali
Sinaut Campus, Km 33, Jln Tutong, Kampong Sinaut, Brunei Darussalam
Abstract
The global human population has been estimated to reach 9.8 billion by the year 2050 and thus there is a growing concern regarding this population growth on food security and availability of fertile land. The continuous production and accumulation of agro-industrial waste and the deteriorating climate also further aggravate this situation. The adoption of sustainable approach, viz. circular and regenerative agriculture, has been proven to be effective at restoring health to degraded soil. This approach emphasizes transforming animal manure into high quality organic amendments to restore soil nutrients, and therefore, enabling agronomic activities to progress. In Southeast Asia particularly in Brunei, acid soils are of concern due to their low organic matter and macronutrient contents, both which are conducive for sustaining healthy soils and crop growth. This is especially challenging in Southeast Asia where agriculture plays a pivotal role in boosting the regional economies and reaching self-sufficiency can be taxing due to compromised crop yields. Poor management of agro-industrial waste, such as from livestock and cattle farming, also poses environmental and food security hazards. In Brunei, effective waste management is still at its infancy and hence, practicing circular agriculture by returning organic waste to the soil is a recommended initiative and is more sustainable to alleviate domestic organic waste accumulation and restore soil fertility. Over the years, while the use of high-yield seed varieties has been explored, crop yield outcomes have not been maximized without fixing the issues associated with soils. In this review, the current agricultural practices employed for enhancing soil primary nutrients availability and crop productivity by utilizing animal manure-derived organic amendments used individually or co-applied with additives are discussed with focus on acid soils in Southeast Asia.
