A few thoughts on agriculture on very fundamental questions related to life and death of humans

1. A fewthoughts on agriculture on very fundamental questions related to life and death of humans To be or not to be is the question Hamlet(Shakespear---@1600) Chong Woon Hong Soil Scientist Adviser RDA International Cooperation Lecture for the high ranking officials of AFACI member countries. 2010 . Aug 13, at RDA Suwon, Korea

2. Why are the people farming? Is farming a fun?

3. For farming we need to, clear the land. plow the land. plant the seeds. supply food and water for the crops. protect the crops from weeds, insects, diseases, and animals, harvest , process and store the products. Lots of sweat, costs, and worries! Why then are we farming?

4. In the olden days Kings were instructed by the wise scholars. “For the Kings, people are the Heaven. For the people, food is the Heaven, Therefore, for the Kings food is the Heaven of Heaven. Kings practiced farming maintaining King’s farms in the Royal Palaces as token of the respect to people’s basic needs. Most formidable organ of human beings, ever hungry endlessly.

5. Instructions for faming---1429 A very wise King(Sejong) ordered the scholars to collect the farming techniques from elderly farmers across the country, and publish a book . A book “Instruction for Farming” was published. Among other things, the book covers a Chapter “How to Harness the Soil”, of which contents are surprisingly logical at even today’s standards.

6. The ones who are farming are men and women; humans. They do farming to get the thing they need for their survival. What are their needs for survival in concrete terms? Body

7. Humans are part of earth. So their body comes from the earth(not the soil alone). We love the earth as mother. Humans need energy For thinking andmoving Bio energy comes from the sunWe worship the sun(as father).

8. Elementalcomposition of human body 98% 99.25% 0.75%

9. The elements constituting about 98% of living body Are H. O. C, coming from water(H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) Remainders(17 kinds) comes from the soil, out of which nitrogen is the most in quantity. Nitrogen being essential for protein, it is crucial for all living beings.

10. Elements needed for formation of human body are there on the earth and in the soil And the source of energy is the sun for free. Very unfortunately humans, humans cannot construct their bodies making use of the elements available from the surroundings. Also they cannot make solar energy useful for their energy…..We should beg the plants to do the job for us.

11. CO2 Soil(Water + minerals)

12. 나는 행복하다. 흙에서 온 것, 물에서 온 것, 탄산가스에서 온 것, 태양에서 온 것, 모두 먹어서 Photosyntheis CO2 다음 끼까지 살아남게 돼서 다행이다!!! 물, 양분

13. Photosynthesis Energy 6CO2+ 6H2O=== C6H12O6+ 6O2 Starch Rice CO2 H2O Glucose Rice + Oxygen CO2+ H2O+ Energy

14. Concentrations of Essential Elements in Higher Plants (Dry tissue) 96% http://www.foliarfert.com/pages/what_is_foliar_fertiliser.htm http://www.foliarfert.com/pages/what_is_foliar_fertiliser.htm

15. Oxisol soil Aridisol soil

16. ㅎ Holding the plant Store water and lant nutrient Protect the poduce Store air Conserve temp Rolesof soils in agriculture

17. Plant roots Water Soil solid Air

18. Plants do not feed on solid materials of soils Plants do drink the water sin soil pore, Feed on the nutrients in soil water. Among those nutrients, nitrogen is most important. Soil is in a way a container, containing water, nutrients and air.

19. As container, soils all over the world are generally Fine, excepting extreme cases. Problem with many unproductive soils all over the World is in sufficient plant nutrients in the water In the soil pores. Among those nutrients, N is most probable to be Insufficient, because of its nature.

20. Nitrogen is most abundant element in the atmosphere (78% of atmosphere). Nitrogen in the atmosphere is in the form of N2, which is not directly available to most of higher plants including agricultural crops excepting the legumes, like soybeans. N2 must be changed into NH3, to be available non-legume crops Like cereals(rice, wheat, maize, potatoes, cassava, etc.) fruits and most of vegetables The change of nitrogen(N2) into NH3, is called nitrogen fixation. This change needs H(hydrogen) and energy.

21. N fixation can take place in the soil by various microbes, either Independently or symbiotically with leguminous plants like soybeans, clovers, various pea… we call it biological N fixation(BNF). N can be fixed chemically, at the fertilizer plants. Use as source of energy, Fossil fuel or end electricity, Which humans cannot eat.

22. N fixations, biologically and chemically need raw materials and energy. 2N2 + 3H2 + energy -- 2NH3 In soybeans Photosynthetic product(glucose, which human can eat) should go to root nodule to feed bacteria for N fixation. As the results, The yield of soybeans is much lower(2 ton/ha) than the Yields of cereals(6-10 ton/ha) fed with chemical fertilizer. Glucose

23. Area Harvested (Ha) Cereals fed with fertilizer, do not need to feed bacteria, can use All the photosynthetic product for their own, hence, higher yield (6-10 ton/ha) Both options; BNF, or CNF, involve pros and cons. People choose the options depending on their needs.

24. Kg/ha Western Europe SE Asia World Middle Africa Fertilizer(N) use in different regions

25. Yield(ton/ha) Yield of cereals in different regions

26. Ghana’s common farming practice Burning and shifting farming---Typical exploitive farmin

27. I talked to farmers if some fertilizer is used, Current years yields would high and you would not need to move other land to burn. I suggested them to test what I told them. Few of them agreed. I showed them how to plant, how to put fertilizer. They did by themselves at their farms

28. Extension officer helped the farmers. In the line, at certain distance. They learned quickly. 농업기술협력팀

29. One half of their plot did receive fertilizer for comparison Where fertilize was applied 농가관행 포장 비효실증포 비료 준 포장 첫 해에 20 농가, 2년 차 400 농가, 3년 차 8,000 농가 참여 농업기술협력팀

30. Rice in Ghana and a Korean Scientist Adequate fertilizer application rice (African variety ) yield could be Increased from 2 ton/ha/ha,

31. Nitrogen (N2) is most abundant on earth(78% of air in the Atmosphere) but least available to plant. It (N2) should be changed(fixed) to ammonia form(NH3). This job is being done by symbiotic bacteria on the Roots of leguminous plants and non-symbiotic bacteria like Azosprillum in the soil.----Biological N Fixation---believed to be Environment friendly---much praised. BNF is not free of cost and so much environement friendly as commonly believed.

32. In corn much of photosynthates go to gain. Yield can be as high as 12 ton/ha. In soybeans, much part of photisynthatesgo to Symbiotic bacteria. Yield can be as high as 3 ton/ha. BNF is a slow process and requires land and human labor too.

33. Another way of N fixation. Homo sapiens are much knowledgeable and skillful. With their accumulated knowledge and skills they have worked out an efficient way to fix nitrogen and the outcome of that has been called N fertilizers. Africa and elsewhere in developing regions there are lots leguminous plants fixing N biologically, Without ceasing, but with that alone…

34. Per capita production (kg) Western Europe Western Europ World Sub-Sahara Africa Annual per capita production of cereals Sub-Sahara rica, World and Western Europe(from FAO statistics) Change in the per capita cereal production in different regions since 1960s till now (From FAO Statistics)

35. N used (kg/ha) N used kg/ha Western Europe World Sub-Sahara Africa` Change in the use of N fertilizer in different regions since 1960s till now(From FAO statistics)