SOIL BALANCE
HEALTHY & PRODUCTIVE CROP
SoilBalance is a farmer-oriented support model that makes it easier to take the first steps in achieving healthier and profitable agriculture. The model consists of 5 focus areas and tools to help farmers identify and solve typical causes in soil health & nutrition.
Tools
Interpretation of Soil Analysis and on-farm measuring methods to understand the status of the soil and what are the priority areas to improve on.
Software tool that translates soil-analysis and other data to crop-specific nutritional requirements and help build a fertilizer program or improve on an existing one.
Data algorithms from IrriWatch that help monitor crop quality, productivity, early stress/disease alert and soil humidity conditions for irrigation or soil management practices.
Online & offline app to administer data from farmers in associations or certification groups. Includes monitoring indicators, gps-mapping, foto-history and other customizable data.
Support and tips to build on-farm or centralized biofertilizer plant. Produce your own low-cost microbiology and fertilizers using high quality inputs and quality monitoring practices.
A network of Dutch and international experts and companies offering their knowledge and relevant technology in tropical agriculture. An initiative of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Colombia to support producers and advisors interested in circular, sustainable and regenerative agriculture.
Problems in agribusiness
Our food supply chain has daily challenges with food-waste, instability of supply, chemical residues and environmental impact of the agriculture, to name a few. Many limitations in agriculture like low productivity, quality and plant-health start early on in the soil. Dealing with these root-causes improve many challenges from farm to the end of the supply-chain.
Soil is underestimated
Soil is often overlooked, not understood or underestimated. Different agricultural models promote organic, sustainable, regenerative or high-tech solutions but Soil is a low priority issue or too complex in its implementation.
Soil simplified
The soil is a complex micro-universe and it can be overwhelming to know where to start and want to do, or not. This model provides a simplified form of the soil and focuses on the 5 main areas we can influence and create impact. It is all about supporting the nature of soil by addressing certain root-causes and not just treating symptoms.
Healthy soil is sustainable
The Soil is the best start towards sustainable agriculture as with our 5 key areas we can achieve many sustainability goals like: reduce food waste, fertilizer usage, chemical residues and water consumption while improving the nutritional quality of food, plant-climate resilience and carbon footprint. Starting at the soil should be logical because it is cost-efficient and achieves the most impact in multiple areas.
Follow us to the next page to learn a bit more about the logic of SoilBalance. Go to Problem-Analysis.
