Surface Fertigation Practices for Smallholder Farmers in the North China Plain

Summary

The North China Plain faces challenges due to intensive farming, which uses a lot of water and chemical fertilizers, leading to pollution and low efficiency. Fertigation, combining fertilizers with irrigation, could help, but many farmers are hesitant to try it. This research explores ways to make fertigation work better.

In the study, we found that farmers liked their current methods but didn't know much about fertigation. Field experiments showed that conventional methods overuse water and chemical fertilizers and spread un

evenly in the field. By using new techniques and adjusting when and how much water and fertilizer are used, farmers can grow crops more sustainably, with less pollution and waste. However, they need support from the government to make these changes.