Substantial improvement in the productivity of agricultural systems is required to support growing rural and urban populations in the developing world. Because of strong pressure on land resources, agricultural intensification of existing production systems involving increasing cropping intensity and/or increased use of external inputs is often the only way to increase agricultural production. There is, however, a broad concern about the sustainability of agricultural production systems in many developing countries. Sustainable agriculture, as defined by FAO, means agriculture that conserves land, water, and plant and animal genetic resources, does not degrade the environment, and is economically viable and socially acceptable. Thus sustainable agriculture manages and uses natural resources to meet people's needs both now and in the future.

Much currently cultivated land (estimated at 5 million to 7 million hectares) is being lost through soil degradation, be it soil erosion, nutrient depletion, desertification, deforestation, salinization or overgrazing. As agricultural areas become even more crowded, arable land is likely to come under increasing pressure. Agricultural yields could fall as land becomes more degraded, putting the livelihoods of millions of subsistence farmers at risk. Integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) is the key in raising productivity levels while maintaining the natural resource base. ISFM aims to replenish soil nutrient pools, maximize on-farm recycling of nutrients, reduce nutrient losses to the environment and improve the efficiency of external inputs.

This online training course will present ISFM strategies that address these objectives and targets learners with basic English and computer skills (email, Web browser and file management). Its major focus is to give participants an understanding of a validated and participatory approach to designing and implementing effective ISFM programs. It will provide a wealth of information and practice on ISFM program design as well as specific agronomic and non-agronomic components of an ISFM program. Agronomic components dealt with include improved crop management practices, measures to improve soil organic matter maintenance, and the combined use of soil amendments, organic materials, and mineral fertilizers to replenish soil nutrient pools and improve the efficiency of external inputs. It will also examine such equally important non-agronomic components as support for rural credit systems and market-oriented institutional changes, farmer training, and improving linkages between research and extension support institutions. This approach pays particular attention to looking at ways to adapt ISFM options to the agronomic and socioeconomic needs and interests of farmers. It is based on the lessons learned by the staff of IFDC - An International Center for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development. IFDC has almost 30 years of experience in increasing agricultural productivity in a sustainable manner through the development and transfer of effective, environmentally sound plant nutrient technology and agricultural marketing.

Objectives

"Fundamentals of Integrated Soil Fertility Management" is designed to improve participants' knowledge about various ISFM practices and give them the opportunity to apply this knowledge in the design of an effective ISFM program suitable for their local agricultural circumstances. Specifically, participants will learn:

• How to apply a participatory approach to designing and implementing an ISFM program.
• What soil fertility means and what makes a soil fertile and productive.
• How to identify soil nutrient problems and opportunities.
• Soil fertility enhancing strategies that maximize profits and agronomic use efficiency.
• Methodologies and tools to assess suitability, economic feasibility, and impacts of ISFM on agricultural production, soil fertility, and the environment.
• How to promote ISFM to farmers and other stakeholders
  

Registered participants receive advice and guidance from experienced course facilitators and the ability to communicate with and learn from other registered classmates. They will also be introduced to a wealth of supplemental online information about soil fertility management and how to develop ISFM programs.

These diverse resources have then been integrated into a structured course through which registered participants will be guided by expert facilitators.

Structure

The course runs for 6 weeks and during that time students will be expected to work through 5 modules. Each module requires a combination of self-study, interaction with classmates and course facilitators and the submission of required assignments. Modules are divided into lessons and each module has at least one associated assignment.

Registered learners should be prepared to allocate approximately 5 hours of work per week to read the lessons, visit the recommended external Websites, participate in the online class discussions and complete the assignments. The course format is quite flexible in that it allows participants to work on the lessons at the times they find most convenient. However, it is also structured in that participants are required to follow a schedule and keep up with the rest of the class.

The schedule for the 4 modules and corresponding learning objectives can be found in the table below:

The course has a comprehensive assortment of tools that encourage and allow interaction between classmates and between course facilitators and learners. Tools include an email program, an address list, upload file facility and links to the various electronic discussion boards associated with the course. In addition, students can easily check on their progress and accomplishments by visiting the automated progress report utility.

Grading

Experience tells us that grading can be a powerful motivating factor and a good way to provide feedback on participant performance. Soon after submission, facilitators will evaluate participant assignments and post their assessment on the student's online progress report along with comments on why they graded as they did and what can be done to improve the grade. Participants are then given the opportunity to improve their grade by reworking and resubmitting assignments. Grading categories used in this course include - "Emerging", "Competent" and "Exemplary". Additionally, for partial submissions, facilitators may award an "Incomplete".

The table below indicates the criteria and attributes used to assess assignments.

Technical Requirements

Courses are designed to be as easy to access and take advantage of as possible - whatever the participant's technical circumstances may be. However, the learning experience will be much more enjoyable if hardware and software meet certain minimum standards. For this course we recommend that participants have:

• A computer running Windows 95, 98, 200, NT or ME.
• An Internet connection (either dialup at 56 Kbps or through a corporate LAN)
• An email account (either Web-based or POP but one that can handle attachments)
• A Web browser. It is highly recommend that you use IE v5.5 or Netscape 6.0 or later. Additionally, Javascript must be enabled.
• A Flash 6 Plug-in for your browser
• Additional software recommended by your instructor. This includes a word processing program and Adobe Acrobat Reader

Credits

This course was designed by Robert T. Raab based on training materials prepared and used by staff of IFDC for the "Training Program on Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) in the Tropics" which was held in Lome, Togo, October 7-12, 2002. Specific IFDC authors include: Upendra Singh, Marco C.S. Wopereis, Arno Maatman, A. Mando, C. Dangbegnon, M. Gross, Tjark Struif Bontkes, Victor Chude, and S. Kofi Debrah. A special thanks also to Toon Defoer, Arnoud Budelman, Camilla Toulmin and Simon E. Carter for graciously allowing us to use several chapters from their "Managing Soil Fertility in the Tropics, Building Common Knowledge: Participatory Learning and Action Research". Buenafe R. Abdon did the software programming and course site development to make online delivery possible.