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Declining soil fertility is a major constraint on crop production in the semi-arid highlands of Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. In order to design more appropriate research and development programmes geared to improving integrated nutrient management practices, researchers need to understand farmers’ knowledge and perceptions of soil fertility. This working paper presents the results of a participatory survey designed to characterise and analyse local knowledge about soil fertility and soil fertility management practices. The survey was carried out in two villages in Tigray.

The first step was to analyse how farmers assess soil fertility. They categorise their soils into three classes: reguid (fertile soils), mehakelay (moderately fertile soils) and rekik (poor soils). As farmers in the study sites base this classification on the soils’ potential to produce crops, it is not limited to their perceived nutrient status. The classification is closely related to topography, and takes account of the soils’ depth and water holding capacity. Soil fertility is seen as dynamic, since a particular unit of land can become more or less fertile. The principal indicators used for identifying declining soil fertility are reduced yield, weed infestation, rocky outcrops, and crops wilting early in the growing cycle. Farmers also use another local system of classifying soil types according to their colour, texture, and certain physical characteristics. This classification correlates with the categories of soil fertility.