Many farmers of chemical fertilizers see a “basic pillar” in modern agriculture in Morocco and abroad, because it has contributed since the 1960s to raise agricultural production to meet the growing demand for food. But over time, the negative effects of these fertilizers have started to appear, whether on the quality of the soil or the pollution of groundwater and the surface.
Experts warn that excessive use of chemical fertilizers can lead to the accumulation of heavy metals in the soil and reduce the activity of useful living organisms, which threatens their fertility in the long term. On the other hand, these fertilizers remain necessary to meet the requirements of the international market, while organic fertilizers are faced with challenges linked to their high cost and their limited efficiency.
Kamal Abrakani, an expert in engineering and agricultural sciences at the multidisciplinary university of the University-Muhammad I in Oujda, said that chemical fertilizers, which have revolutionized global agriculture since the 1960s, “have greatly contributed to the elevation of agricultural production, using elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, with magnesium and magnesium.
In a declaration in Hespress, Abrakani said that these fertilizers “have become necessary to meet growing demand”, because organic materials cannot provide the units necessary to achieve high production, as in the case of grapes which require 150 to 200 units of azot, 100 to 120 phosphorous units and 150 to 200 potassium units to reach production between 30 and 50.
He added that the intense use of chemical fertilizers “showed in time negative effects on the environment”, such as pollution of groundwater and surface water due to the high levels of nitrate and phosphorus, in addition to the deterioration of the quality of the soil and the low activity of useful micro-organisms such as bacteria and fungi fertilizers can increase heavy metal levels.
The spokesperson indicated that developed countries encourage total dependence on chemical fertilizers by integrating them into biological fertilizers, “but Morocco has not yet set mandatory criteria to direct farmers to this approach”, citing international standards such as “ISO” which limits the pollution of soil and water, indicating that the excessive use of fertilizer “eliminates the microbiological solo, indicating that excessive use of fertilizers »eliminates microbiological microology” for the soil, which requires the search for lasting alternatives which maintain production and reduce negative effects.
The agricultural expert himself suggested the adoption of agricultural methods “strongly within the framework of conservative agriculture, such as the use of low-effect chemical fertilizers (such as liquid fertilizers which are absorbed directly by plants without adhesion pollution.
After stressing that the overall abandonment of chemical fertilizers is “not currently possible because of the need for the international market”, since “the merger between the two remains the optimal solution”, underlined Kamal Abarkani that “the great challenge lies in the competitiveness of the prices, because the chemical fertilizers remain alone”.
For his part, Rashid Bouabid, professor at the National School of Agriculture in Mekns, stressed that fertilization “is an essential pillar in the technical path of agriculture, in order to provide basic nutrients through chemical or organic fertilizers”, noting that strong fertilization “is that which combines productivity and durability without harm and the environment”. “”
Bouabid underlined, in an interview with Hespress, the need to adopt “scientific principles which take into account the needs of surrounding cultures and conditions, to ensure the balance between productive and environmental objectives”, explaining that one of the most important of these principles is “knowledge of the characteristics of the necessary soil and its level of fertility,”
He stressed that this approach guarantees high productivity in terms of quantity and quality without provoking a lack of physical, chemical and biological soil functions, stressing that carrying out this requires a precise diagnosis through the soil analyzes available in national laboratories supported by 50% of the country. He pointed out that soil analyzes can measure the indicators of their fertility and determine the fertilizers that must be added or careful, to avoid the shortage or excess which can negatively affect agriculture or soil health and its sustainability.
The Professor of the National School of Agriculture of Meknes concluded to underline the importance of knowing the needs of food crops, which differ according to the type of cultivation and targeted production, calling for the adaptation of fertilization based on soil analyzes and the needs of the factory to ensure balanced growth, warn that “excessive fertilizers, in particular azouti, can lead to the pollution of underground water”.
