A comparison between ecological and conventional rice farming practices in Bangladesh.

General trends in Asia indicate that rice yields are declining. Long-term research plots in experimental stations, which tend to give greater yields than farmers' fields, have found they need to increase the fertilizer input to maintain yields. Similarly, farmers are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain productivity using current management practices, this is mostly due to a decline in soil fertility and organic matter. Integrated farming practices are now becoming more attractive to rural communities. Organic practices declined with the increased access to inorganic fertilizers, which provided a ready supply of nutrients to crops. In Bangladesh PROSHIKA, an NGO, has been promoting ecological farming as an integral part of their social development program. They provide information and training on organic management practices. This paper considers the effects on the soil properties of a minimum of 3 years eco-farming as compared with conventional farming practices. The investigation into the two farming systems is being conducted on farmers' fields in 4 different locations, e. g., Gabtali, Shibgonj, Daulatpur and Dhamrai, in Bangladesh. This 3-year investigation began in May 1997 and initially a base -line soil survey was conducted with samples from the plough layer taken from all 4 locations. The soils were analyzed for macro and micro-nutrients, together with physical properties. Physical and chemical properties associated with soil fertility were generally enhanced in fields under ecological management with soils having a better granular structure and being more friable than soils under conventional management. Soil bulk densities were significantly (P<0.01) lower, except at Shibganj, and CEC, BSP and exchangeable Ca ++ contents were significantly higher in ecological fields than in conventionall y managed fields. No impact of ecological management on total soil organic matter (OM) content was found, however the differences measured in other soil properties such as CEC may infer changes in the quality rather than quantity of OM in soil.