Differences between organic and inorganic fertilizers in terms of their use

Organic fertilizer

Organic fertilizers: Soil fertility on small holder farms is entirely dependent on locally available resources. Cattle manure, cereal and legume stover, and woodland litter are the commonly organic fertilizers that are always used, but these are rarely applied in sufficient quantities to the impact on crop yields. The use of high quality organic fertilizers is rarely in practiced, although through research and extension activities, some farmers now include legume green manures or legume-based fallows in crop sequences. The main advantage of using organic fertilizers is compared to mineral fertilizers, they are usually available on, and around the farm at very little or no cost other than labour costs of handling, transportation, or opportunity costs of land used for their production.

Inorganic fertilizers: Inorganic (mineral) fertilizers need to be applied to crop at least twice within a growing season (split application), either basally at planting or top-dressed during vegetative growth. The amount of inorganic fertilizer used in most small holder farming systems falls far below the recommended standard extension, due to poor purchasing power, poor and unreliable rainfall, and lack of significant returns.

Inorganic fertilizer