Sub-assistant agriculture officers in Mirpur upazila, Kushtia, have been given Internet of Things (IoT) smart soil sensors to test soil and advise farmers on fertiliser. The devices measure soil properties on the spot and can print fertiliser recommendations for farmers in Bangla.
Upazila agriculture officer Motiar Rahman said the sensor measures 10 soil properties. From those results a fertiliser recommendation is drawn up according to the soil's nutrient needs, so farmers can easily see which fertiliser their land needs and in what amount.
The 15 sensors, bought by the upazila administration, were handed over on Thursday afternoon at the upazila parishad conference room by upazila nirbahi officer Afroz Shahin Khasru to the upazila agriculture officer. They will be used for farmers in the field through the upazila agriculture office.
Forty sub-assistant agriculture officers were trained to operate the sensors, analyse soil data and prepare and hand out fertiliser prescriptions. The training was run by Samiran Biswas of Genius Farms Limited and his technical team.
The UNO said that excessive and unplanned fertiliser use raises production costs and harms long-term soil health and the environment, while too little fertiliser cuts yields. Fertiliser management based on soil tests can help lower costs, prevent waste and balance nutrients, he said, though fertiliser should still be applied on the advice of trained officers taking account of land type, crop and season.
For farmers the benefit is an immediate soil test result and printed instructions in Bangla, which the UNO said would make the advice easier to follow. The report was filed by Barta24's staff correspondent in Kushtia.
Photo: A soil moisture sensor, Christianjhart1 / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Source: Barta24
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