Major Problems And Legal Countermeasures On Extension Of The Soil-Testing-Based Formula Fertilization Technology In China

Properly testing the nutrient availability of soils is one of the main bases of rational fertilization in agriculture, and it is the premise for saving the consumption of the energy for fertilizer production, improving soil fertility and ensuring sustainable agricultural development. Due to the relatively low knowledge level and lag behind response to newly-born things of Chinese peasants, viewing from the previous practices, the extension of agricultural technology including the soil-testing-based formula fertilization plays a rather important role in spreading and applying the new agricultural technology."Promoting soil testing and formulated fertilization" was clearly put forward in the First Document of China Central Government in the early2005, thereafter, a nationwide spring and autumn action focusing on soil testing formula was launched, which set off a new round of climax in promoting the application of the new technology of soil testing and formulated fertilization. Throughout the years of the extension, the advanced technology is overall developing rather slowly in spite of some progress has been made. Until now, it has not been widely used, and the rates of availability, penetration, and contribution of the technology of soil testing and formulated fertilization remain to be further improved.Under this context and based on the present status and the deficiency in the extension of the soil-testing-based formula fertilization, this paper combined the theory of law discipline with the methods of literature analysis, expert interview, questionnaire, comparative analysis, etc. and studied the major problems currently exist in promoting soil testing and formulated fertilization, and the specific strategies and suggestions in further ameliorating the legal system on promoting the technology. The following conclusions can be drawn: (1) In the aspect of foreign practices, a sound legal system is a crucial guarantee for promoting the development of soil testing and formulated fertilization. Strengthening the legal protection system is favorable for the establishment of effective promotion methods, and making the soil testing and formulated fertilization has a legal basis will be helpful for regulating the production, sales and application of the formula fertilizer, deterring and reducing the illegal activities, and therefore, promoting the comprehensive, healthy and sustainable development of the formula fertilizer industry.(2) At present, the regulations applicable to soil testing and formulated fertilization are imperfect. In the questionnaire survey,88.9%respondents consider that the supervision on the formula fertilizer by the law enforcement departments is inadequate, which result in the market mixed with good and bad, and that it is difficult to distinguish the qualified from the unqualified, which greatly affect peasants’ enthusiasm in using formula fertilizer. Inadequate law system and loose supervision over the soil testing and formulated fertilization has strongly hampered the development of the formula fertilizer.(3) The current promotion work of soil testing and formulated fertilization mainly encountered various problems including:incomplete quality standard system of formulated fertilization, imperfect determination method for formulated fertilization manufacturers, nonuniform identification of formulated fertilization, and single promotion model.To establish a sound legal system on soil testing and formulated fertilization, the management mechanism and the indicator system of soil testing and formulated fertilization, as well as the duties and functions of the soil testing formula organs and fertilizer formula experts should be clarified; the quality supervision system of the designated production enterprises should be established; the subsidy theory of soil testing and formulated fertilization should be perfected, so as to establish a systematic legal basis for soil testing and formulated fertilization, and to promote its orderly development.The above arguments can be applied as the basic materials and the references for the government and its departments responsible for implementing soil testing and formulated fertilization in working out or improving the policies or provisions related to soil testing and formulated fertilization.