Mobile soil labs to be deployed in all 17 regions

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it plans to deploy free mobile soil laboratories to all its 17 regional offices.

The goal is to provide farmers with tools and resources to train them on soil testing and management, boosting their earnings and making them more climate-resilient in the long term.

Each mobile lab is worth P42 million and can administer four tests that help farmers map the productivity of their soil, provide fertilizer recommendations, and help them optimize the use of their land.

Agriculture Undersecretary for Operations Roger V. Navarro said soil labs will improve yields of rice, corn, high-value crops, vegetables, and root crops. The DA has already deployed mobile labs to Zambales, the Western Visayas, as well as the Tarlac pilot test site.

Soil samples taken in Tarlac helped update five fertility maps, produced 346 fertilizer recommendations, analyzed 543 soil samples, and educated 584 workers on soil analysis and sustainable fertilizer management.

Following the pilot test, rice and corn production rose 4.8% and 0.2% in the first quarter, and 1.6% and 0.1% in the second. — Andre Christopher H. Alampay