September 8, 2022
Even though, the major challenge of Eritrea’s agriculture is shortage of water, its degraded land also negatively affects productivity. The country’s soil which generally, is known to be calcareous alkaline with very low organic matter and agricultural nutrient content needs continuous amendment to sustain agriculture. For this reason, Eritrean farmers have been heavily dependent on the supplemental use of chemical fertilizers mainly DAP and Urea. Although the use of chemical fertilizers is known to boost agricultural production, its continuous use results in serious environmental problems, including ground water contamination. Chemicals leaching and running off from farm lands also make their way in to water bodies, including the sea to cause death of terrestrial and aquatic organisms.