Comparative Analysis of Soil Health in Backyard Farms on Multiple Islands of The Bahamas
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15362/ijbs.v29i1.535Keywords:
Soil health, Backyard farming, Soil nutrients, Bahamian agriculture, Soil analysis, Agricultural chemistry, Soil biochemistry, Grand Bahama IslandAbstract
Food insecurity is a major concern in The Bahamas due to our inadequate food and agricultural infrastructure and heavy reliance on imports. To mitigate this threat, the Bahamian government has been encouraging homeowners to engage in backyard farming. However, the success of backyard farming relies on the presence of healthy soils. In this study, we conducted a comparative analysis of soil health in backyard farms across several islands in The Bahamas. Our analysis focused on key indicators such as nutrient availability, pH, salinity, water-holding capacity, and organic carbon. Our results revealed that none of the 38 soil samples analysed fell within the optimal range for all of the selected indicators. Our results suggested that soil treated with synthetic fertilizer did not exhibit higher nutrient availability compared to naturally fertilized or unfertilized samples. Additionally, through correlation analysis, we found a positive relationship between organic carbon and water-holding capacity. Conversely, negative correlations were observed between pH and nitrogen, as well as organic carbon and pH. These correlations imply that optimizing pH levels and enhancing water holding capacity may play a crucial role in improving soil health in The Bahamas, with particular attention to increasing organic carbon content.
References
Alam, S. M, Naqvi., S. S. M., & Ansari, R. (1999). Impact of soil pH on nutrient uptake by crop plants. In M. Pessarakli (Ed.), Handbook of plant and crop stress (2nd rev. ed.), 51–60. Marcel Dekker. https://nishat2013.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/handbook-of-plant-and-crop-stress-2ed-1999.pdf
Allen, S. E., Grimshaw, H. M., Parkinson, J. A., & Quarmby, C. (1974). Chemical analysis of ecological materials. Blackwell Scientific Publications.
Arias, M. E., González-Pérez, J. A, González-Vila, F. J, & Ball, A. S. (2005). Soil health: A new challenge for microbiologists and chemists. International Microbiology, 8(1), 13–21. http://hdl.handle.net/10261/2130
Binkley, D., & Vitousek, P. (1989). Soil nutrient availability. In R. W. Pearcy, J. R. Ehleringer, H. A. Mooney, & P. W. Rundel (Eds.), Plant physiological ecology. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2221-1_5
Cardoso, E. J. B. N., Vasconcellos, R. L. F., Bini, D., Miyauchi, M. Y. H., Santos, C. A. D., Alves, P. R. L., Paula, A. M. D., Nakatani, A. S., Pereira, J. D. M., & Nogueira, M.A. (2013). Soil health: Looking for suitable indicators. What should be considered to assess the effects of use and management on soil health? Scientia Agricola, 70, 274–289. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0103-90162013000400009
Chmura, G. L., Anisfeld, S. C., Cahoon, D., et al. (2003). Global carbon sequestration in tidal, saline wetland soils. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 17(4). https://doi.org/10.1029/2002GB001917
Curell, C. (2011). Why is soil water holding capacity important? Michigan State University Extension. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/why_is_soil_water_holding_capacity_important
Dodds, W. K., & Smith, V. H. (2016). Nitrogen, phosphorus, and eutrophication in streams. Inland Waters, 6(2), 155–164. https://doi.org/10.5268/IW-6.2.909
Faber, B. A., Downer, A. J., Holstege, D., & Mochizuki, M. J. (2007). Accuracy varies for commercially available soil test kits analyzing nitrate–nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and pH. HortTechnology, 17(3), 358–362. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH.17.3.358
Food and Agriculture Organization. (2020). Fertilizer consumption (kilograms per hectare of arable land). https://data.apps.fao.org/catalog/dataset/fertilizer-consumption
Ghanem, S. K. (2018). The relationship between population and the environment and its impact on sustainable development in Egypt using a multi-equation model. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 20(1), 305–342. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-016-9882-8
Glibert, P. M., Seitzinger, S., Heil, C. A., Burkholder, J. M., Parrow, M. W., Codispoti, L. A., & Kelly, V. (2005). Eutrophication. Oceanography, 18(2), 198. http://chnep.wateratlas.usf.edu/upload/documents/EutrophicationAndHABs.pdf
Greenland, S., Senn, S. J., Rothman, K. J., Carlin, J. B., Poole, C., Goodman, S. N., & Altman, D. G. (2016). Statistical tests, P values, confidence intervals, and power: A guide to misinterpretations. European Journal of Epidemiology, 31, 337–350. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-016-0149-3
Hardie, M., & Doyle, R. (2012). Measuring soil salinity. In S. Shabala, S. & T. A. Cuin (Eds.), Plant Salt Tolerance (pp. 415–425). Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-986-0_28
Jiao, X. Q., Zhang, H. Y., Ma, W. Q., Wang, C., Li, X. L., & Zhang, F. S. (2019). Science and technology backyard: A novel approach to empower smallholder farmers for sustainable intensification of agriculture in China. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 18(8), 1657–1666. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2095-3119(19)62592-X
Karpyn, A., Headley, M. G., Knowles, Z., Hepburn, E., Kennedy, N., Wolgast, H. K., Riser, D., & Osei Sarfo, A. R., (2021). Validity of the food insecurity experience scale and prevalence of food insecurity in The Bahamas. Rural and Remote Health, 21(4), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.22605/RRH6724
Kindler, P., & Hearty, P. J. (1997). Geology of The Bahamas: Architecture of Bahamian Islands. Geology and Hydrogeology of Carbonate Islands, Developments in Sedimentology, 54, 141–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0070-4571(04)80024-4
Lehmann, J., Bossio, D., Kögel-Knabner, I., & Rillig, M. (2020). The concept and future prospects of soil health. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 1(10), 544-553. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-020-0080-8
Lugo, A. E. (2008). Visible and invisible effects of hurricanes on forest ecosystems: An international review. Austral Ecology, 33(4), 368–398. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2008.01894.x
Machado, R. M. A., & Serralheiro, R. P. (2017). Soil salinity: Effect on vegetable crop growth. Management practices to prevent and mitigate soil salinization. Horticulturae, 3(2), 30. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae3020030
Moebius-Clune, B. N., Moebius-Clune, D. J., Gugino, B. K., Idowu, O. J., Schindelbeck, R. R., Ristow, A. J., van Es, H. M., Thies, J. E., Shayler, H. A., McBride, M. B., Kurtz, K. S. M., Wolfe, D. W., & Abawi, G. S. (2016). Comprehensive assessment of soil health: The Cornell framework. (3rd ed.). Cornell University. http://bit.ly/SoilHealthTrainingManual
Paldor, A., & Michael, H. A. (2021). Storm surges cause simultaneous salinization and freshening of coastal aquifers, exacerbated by climate change. Water Resources Research, 57(5), e2020WR029213. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020WR029213
Park, L. E., Siewers, F. D., Metzger, T., & Sipahioglu, S. (2009). After the hurricane hits: Recovery and response to large storm events in a saline lake, San Salvador Island, Bahamas. Quaternary International, 195(1–2), 98–105. https://www.geraceresearchcentre.com/pdfs/13thGeology/65_ParkMetzgerSipahiogluSiewersLeonard_13thGeology.pdf
Pattison, A. B., Moody, P., & Bagshaw, J. (2010). Vegetable plant and soil health. State of Queensland. http://era.daf.qld.gov.au/id/eprint/2479/1/Soil-health-vegetable-production.pdf
Poitier, F., Kalliecharan, R., & Ebenso, B. (2022). Impact of sustained health policy and population-level interventions on reducing the prevalence of obesity in the Caribbean region: A qualitative study from The Bahamas. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 926672. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.926672
Provin, T., & Pitt, J. L. (2001). Managing soil salinity. Texas FARMER Collection. http://aglifesciences.tamu.edu/baen/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2017/01/E-60-Managing-Soil-Salinity.pdf
Oke, O. L. (1966). Nitrite toxicity to plants. Nature, 212(5061), 528–528. https://doi.org/10.1038/212528a0
Sahab, S., Suhani, I., Srivastava, V., Chauhan, P. S., Singh, R. P., & Prasad, V. (2021). Potential risk assessment of soil salinity to agroecosystem sustainability: Current status and management strategies. Science of The Total Environment, 764, 144164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144164
Sabry, A. K. (2015). Synthetic fertilizers: Role and hazards. Fertilizer Technology, 110–133. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.4820.1688
Sedgwick, P. (2012). Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Bmj, 345. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e4483
SI Toolkit. (n.d.). Water holding capacity. Sustainable Intensification Assessment Framework (SIIL). https://sitoolkit.com/the-five-domains/environmental/soil-physical-quality/water-holding-capacity
Spann, T. M., & Schumann, A. W. (2010). Mineral nutrition contributes to plant disease and pest resistance: HS1181/HS1181, 7/2010. EDIS, 2010(4). https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-hs1181-2010
Stewart, R. (2023). Fertilizer. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/fertilizer
Stott, D. E. (2019). Recommended soil health indicators and associated laboratory procedures. US Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service https://directives.sc.egov.usda.gov/OpenNonWebContent.aspx?content=44475.wba
Uchida, R. (2000). Essential nutrients for plant growth: Nutrient functions and deficiency symptoms. Plant Nutrient Management in Hawaii’s Soils, 4, 31–55. https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/pnm3.pdf
Tahat, M., Alananbeh, K. M., Othman, Y. A., & Leskovar, D. I. (2020). Soil health and sustainable agriculture. Sustainability, 12(12), 4859. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12124859
Thomas, C. (2017). Pursuing sustainable agriculture in The Bahamas. i-ACES: Journal of Undergraduate Research at ACES, 3(1), 46–52. http://hdl.handle.net/2142/113672
Weil, R. & Magdoff, F. (2004). Significance of soil organic matter to soil quality and health. In F. Magdoff, & R. Ray (Eds.), Soil organic matter in sustainable agriculture (pp 1–43). CRC Press Inc.
Welsh, K., & Bowleg, J. (2022). Interventions and solutions for water supply on small islands: The case of New Providence, The Bahamas. Frontiers in Water, 4, 983167. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2022.983167
Whiting, D., Card, A., Wilson, C., & Reefer, J. (2014). Estimating soil texture. Colorado State University Cooperative Extension. http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/214.pdf
Yao, H., Zhang, S., Shangguan, H., Li, Z., & Sun, X. (2022). Effects of urbanization on soil fauna community structure and diversity. Biodiversity Science, 30(12), 22547. https://doi.org/ 10.17520/biods.2022547
Yu, A. L. (2017). Food self-sufficiency and sustainable agriculture development in The Bahamas. i-ACES: Journal of Undergraduate Research at ACES, 3(1), 53-57 http://hdl.handle.net/2142/113673
