Farmers Review Africa Sept/Oct 2019 Farmers Review Africa September - October 2019 dig | Page 13

FERTILUX : A KEY LINK IN INTEGRATED SOIL FERTILITY MANAGEMEMENT IN THE AFRICAN CONTINENT For several years now, Fertilux and FCA Fertilisants have been working in Africa with their various local partners, pro- moting the use of its complete solutions integrated into the local practices of ferti- lisation and organic matter management. T he African Union on fertilizers in Africa, which met in Abuja (Nigeria) in 2006, resolved to increase the average level of fertilizer use from 8 kg/ha to at least 50 kg/ha by 2015 and to improve farmers’ access to fertilizers in terms of price and distribution networks. Through their patented know-how in soil life biostimulation technologies, FCA Fertilisants and Fertilux enable farmers to take the initiative towards a naturally fer- tile agriculture by following three principles: Enriching soil fertility Increasing the effectiveness of inputs Decreasing the environmental impact SUMMARY : Eco-friendly fertilisation has several advantages : > An increase in yield > Sustainable strengthening of soil and plant health > Perpetuation of the biological, physical and chemical fertility of the soil Ten years later, the level of fertilizer use re- mains low and far below the Abuja targets. At the same time, several reports on the long term by regional technical experts show that the soil can be depleted of certain nu- trients when the use of mineral fertilizers is unbalanced, for example, when large quan- tities of nitrogen fertilizers are used without a reasonable use of P and K inputs and a good soil organic matter management FCA Fertilisants and Fertilux are dedicated to the preservation of re- lations with farmers and devotedly carry out tests each year directly on "pilot" farms in order to contin- uously evaluate the pertinence of their solutions and optimise their recommendations and fertilisation programmes. Integrated Soil Fertility Management al- lows, in its principles, a return to equilibrium, an increase in the self-regenerative ferti- lity of soil and a “natural” increase of soil. It can be defined as a set of soil fertility mana- gement practices that involve the reasonable use of mineral fertilizers, organic inputs and suitable seeds. This management of all inputs must be combined with a good knowledge of local practices and conditions, as well as sound agronomic and economic practices. Proven by the results of official experi- ments, the performances of FCA Fertil- isants and Fertilux solutions provide an answer in the African context. What are the solutions ? The solutions for eco-friendly fertilisation pro- vided by FCA Fertilisants and Fertilux stabilise the soil by including nutrients and nourishing the microorganisms that are naturally present. Through a symbiotic relationship with plants, these microorganisms shape plant health in two ways : By helping to fight off diseases or pests By reinforcing the resistance to biotic and abiotic stress We invite you to follow the results of these tests and partnerships in the next issues of Farmers Review of Africa... To contact us : Mr. Sébastien DAVID [email protected] +33.6.51.17.54.62 Mr. Christophe MONNOT [email protected] +33.6.74.23.68.27