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Farmers face many challenges and constraints in terms of agricultural inputs. Synthetic fertilizers are often difficult for farmers to access or afford and may have low community acceptance. Moreover, knowledge of how to properly and safely apply synthetic inputs is often limiting or confusing. For these reasons, many communities choose natural over synthetic options for managing nutrients. Options using natural and local ingredients include bio-fertilizers that famers make on site. Benefits of bio-fertilizers include the potential for increased resilience to pests and nutrient deficiencies and a sense of empowerment as farmers solve challenges with creative and sometimes simple, on-farm derived techniques that are less costly than synthetic inputs. ECHO resources and training focus on creation and use of bio-fertilizer products that are appropriate for the context in which they are used and that effectively maintain soil and crop health.



  1. 2017-08-01 Faced with the challenges of smallholders in terms of agricultural inputs and the limitations of mineral fertilizer, ECHO's West Africa Impact Center has provided farmers with practical and economic knowledge. One example of this is the technique of manufacturing organic liquid fertilizer.
  2. 2022-10-03 Bioliquid fertilizer (BLF; also known as organic liquid fertilizer) is popular within ECHO’s network and among smallholder farmers around the world.This fertilizer is easier to make than other on-farm amendments such as compost and is easily adaptable. ECHO encourages using locally available...
  3. Lightning Talk, ECHO International Agriculture Conference, November 19, 2020 Bio liquid fertilizer, organic liquid fertilizer Hawken Sawyer and Lyle Carlson
  4. 1997-01-19 Information about making bonemeal fertilizer from animal bones.
  5. 2017-08-01 The decline or even loss of soil fertility is the major challenge faced by more and more farmers around the world in general and especially those in sub-Saharan Africa. Many causes, mainly anthropogenic, are at the origin of this situation. Despite the massive use of chemical fertilizers through...
  6. Vegetable crops thrive in healthy soil. Farmers can improve the quality of their soil and provide nutrients for their plants by making and adding compost to their fields or planting beds. In this video produced by the World Vegetable Center for the VINESA project, researcherEmanuel Pallangyo...
  7. 2018-11-15 This hands-on workshop will include making and applying two natural farming products. First, we will make a small batch of indigenous microorganism (IMO) parent culture and show what it looks like to step it up to a liquid. Then we will apply IMO liquid to treat the deep litter pig system....
  8. 2011-01-20 Indigenous microorganisms (IMO) are harvested and produced in various ways for natural farming. Out of five types of NF IMOs, IMO 1 refers to the group of indigenous microorganisms that are produced from microbes collected from forest settings, from around the stubble of harvested rice and...
  9. 2016-11-15 The goals of this presentation are to exhibit how microorganisms and microbiology benefit ecosystem health and explore in what ways farmers can use microorganisms and microbiology to increase the long-term health of soil, crops, or animals. The use of microbiology for soil restoration by...
  10. Access Agriculture Training Video We need to ferment the mixture to convert the ingredients into nutrients and hormones that can be readily absorbed by plants. The biofertilizer will be ready in 2 to 3 months, depending on the weather and the ingredients you use. Available Languages: Aymara,...
  11. M Kusuma and R Afrianisa 2021J. Phys.: Conf. Ser.2117012007DOI10.1088/1742-6596/2117/1/012007 The demand for organic fertilizers in Indonesia is currently in a critical state. In 2015, it was noticed that the demand of Indonesia for NPK fertilizers reached over 6.5 million tons per year. Given...
  12. 2005-01-20 With all the instant gratification available to the consumer these days, nature seems to take a long time. Stabilizing your soil, pasture and livestock areas don’t happen over night. Nevertheless, Microbial Management with foliar sprays and fertilizers can help in the transition.
  13. 2005-01-20 In our training seminars, every student gets a bottle of EME. We teach them by making it in class. They also are trained on how to use their bag of five different soil amendments. This encourages students to use them in the project that they have already started. Some students are just starting...
  14. 2021-01-01 Between 2017 and 2018, a trial was conducted comparing IMO, EM, mulch, and no mulch on a raised bed system on the ECHO Florida campus. Each of these main treatments was evaluated with and without NPK fertilizer in a split-plot, randomized complete block design. Less cotton was decomposed in the...
  15. Key Resource 2010-08-01 Worm or vermiculture is a useful technique for recycling kitchen and livestock wastes into a rich organic fertilizer, for producing high-protein feed for poultry and initiating a lucrative business selling worms and worm castings for the small farm. Worms are invaluable partners in building the...