Understanding soil health and associated farmers' perceptions in Colombian coffee systems

Soil health (SH) is important to the economics and environmental impacts of crop production, including coffee (Coffea spp.) culture.This study was conducted to gain insights into farmers' perceptions related to SH concepts and their realities on Colombian coffee farms.A total of 223 soil samples were collected from 145 coffee farms in Cauca, Colombia, that vary by municipality, their membership status with a coffee co-op (member or nonmember), and farmer gender. Samples were analyzed for 13 SH indicators, including wet aggregate stability (WAS), available water capacity (AWC), respiration rate, pH, active carbon (AC), organic matter (OM), protein, phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn). Farmer co-op membership and municipality, but not farmer gender, were significant factors for SH status on farms. Farmer co-op members were asked to identify on their farms the plot that they perceived to have the highest soil fertility and the plot with the lowest soil fertility, which allowed for the evaluation of (1) the correctness of farmers' SH perception, i.e., whether their perception was aligned with or similar to scientific measurements of SH, and (2) which SH indicators strongly influence farmer perception of SH. Farmers' perceptions were found to be in line with the scientific laboratory measurements of SH, and their perceptions were significantly positively influenced by the soil's organic matter and protein contents but negatively influenced by soil respiration. Finally, SH perception correctness was not correlated with farmer gender, locality, or SH conditions.