Bangladesh though a LDC have generated national database on Land and Soil Resources which is mainly used for agricultural development planning and farmers service. SOLARIS and OFRS are two systems dealing with the NR database to generate output needed by academicians, researchers, extentionists and farmers

1. Soil Survey: The Quest for Precision
Agriculture in Bangladesh
Mohammad Altaf Hossain, PhD
Principal Scientific Officer
Soil and Land Survey Classification Section
SRDI
Presented in Review Workshop 2013-14
SRDI, HO

2. CONTRIBUTION OF AGRICULTURE TO GDP
The economy of Bangladesh is based on agriculture,
industry and services. The gross domestic product (GDP)
expressed as purchase power parity is US$209.2 billion,
which is equivalent to more than BDT 14600 billion.
The agriculture sector contributes a major share in the
GDP, which is about 20.0% and employs about 48.07% of
the working force. Services sector is also an important
sector in the economy of the country about 50% of the
GDP is generated through this sector and engages 43.28%
of the work force.
Again, among the sub-sectoral contributions of agriculture
sector is dominated by crops (57 %), followed by fisheries
(22%).

3. Soil Survey
Soil survey, or soil mapping, is the process of
classifying soil types and other soil properties in a
given area and geo-encoding such information.
It applies the principles of soil science, and draws
heavily from geomorphology, theories of soil
formation, physical geography, and analysis of
vegetation and land use patterns.
Primary data for the soil survey are acquired by field
sampling and by remote sensing. Remote sensing
principally uses aerial photography, but LiDAR and
other digital techniques are steadily gaining in
popularity.

4. Precision farming (PA)
Precision farming (PA) or satellite farming or site
specific crop management (SSCM) is a farming
management concept based on observing, measuring
and responding to inter and intra-field variability
in crops.
PA aims to optimize field-level management with regard to:
• crop science: by matching farming practices more closely to crop
needs (e.g. fertilizer inputs);
• environmental protection: by reducing environmental risks and
footprint of farming (e.g. limiting leaching of nitrogen);
• economics: by boosting competitiveness through more efficient
practices (e.g. improved management of fertilizer usage and other
inputs).

5. ECONOMICS
Changes in costs
Changes in revenues
Cash Flow
Risk
MANAGEMENT
Data acquisition and analysis
Decision support system
Increased attention to
management
Learning curve
ALLIANCES
Accurate GPS
availability
Variable rate
technology
Site specific
management
services availability
Financing
ENVIRONMENTAL
Decrease input losses
Target nutrients to
increase uptake
efficiency
Figure. Issues affecting adoption of precision
agriculture management. (Davis, Undated)

6. Types Soil Survey carried out by SRDI
and data generated
Reconnaissance Soil Survey (RSS)
Scale 1:100,000-1:250,000
During 1964-1975
Area covered 135 million ha (except
Khulna Sundarbans and Reserve Forest)
Data: Physiography, land type, soil
series and phases, land use, land
capability, profile description of
major soil series along with chemical
analyses data

7. Land capability classes of Bangladesh (extent in
ha)
Classes Area (million ha) percentage
Good agricultural land 4.4 30
Moderate agricultural land 4.8 33
Poor agricultural land 4.4 14
Very poor agricultural land 1.1 08
Settlement and water bodies 2.2 15
Source: SRDI, 2013

8. Steps in Updated Survey
• Interpretation APs and preparation of photointerpretative
soil and landform map of the target upazila.
• Ground truthing, collection of requisite soil samples for
chemical analysis.
• Finalization of soil and landform map
• Report writing
• Publication

9. Semi-detailed Soil Survey
Scale: 1:50,000
During 1984-2002
Main product:
Soil and Land Resource Utilization Guide for 459
Upazilas comprising of physical (physiography,
land type, soil group) chemical data (14
parameters), soil fertility assessment, crop
suitability assessment, crops and cropping pattern
based fertilizer recommendation for farmers’
Updating survey:
2002 onwards

10. Nabaganga Integrated Land and Water
Development Project Area, BWDB
Ganges-Kopotakshi Irrigation Project Area,
BWDB

11. Detailed soil survey
(1975-2004)
Seed Multiplication Farm, BADC 17
Regional Agricultural Research Station, BARI 20
Project area of BSFIC 30
Small Scale Irrigation Project, BADC 05
Sirajganj Integrated Village Development Project 100
Bangladesh Agricultural University Farm 01
Chittagong University Campus 01
Debiganj Potato Multiplication Farm 01
Pilot Thanas under Crop Diversification Program 20
Lalmonirhat Military Farm 01
BINA Sub-stations Farm 06

12. Soil Correlation

13. Soil monolith
Soil monolith Soil correlation box

14. Soil Classification
(US Soil Taxonomy & FAO-UNESCO Legend)
Soil series identified through RSS, according to
US soil taxonomy comfortably fit into five
orders, such as: Inceptisols, Entisols, Ultisols,
Histosolsand Mollisols. There were 12
suborders, 21 great groups and 56 subgroups
in this country (Hussain, 1992).
According to FAO-UNESCO legend of soil
classification system, the soil series identified
through RSS has been categorized mainly into
35 FAO-Unescosoil units. These occur mainly as
Fluvisols, Gleysols, Leptosol, Arenosol,
Cambisol, Luvisol, Planosol, Alisol, Histosoland
Anthrosol.
Soils of Bangladesh needs to be classified at
the ‘Family Level’

15. Utilization/Application of Soil Survey
database

16. AEZ: Agro-ecological Zones
Soils
Physiography
Hydrology
Agro-climatic data

17. GIS at SRDI (BARC, VISSION 2030)
• Soil Resources Development Institute (SRDI) in collaboration with CEGIS
developed a massive 2GB database that stores soil data using primary
information from Upazila Nirdeshika.
• The system is called 'The Soil and Land Resource Information System' or SOLARIS.
• Customized GIS software SOLARIS is also developed to map soil data based on
classification (Soil Texture, Land type, Landform, Drainage, Slope, Surface Water
Recession) and application (Crop Suitability, Land Zoning, Nutrient Status and
Fertilizer Recommendation).
• The system can analyze data at the Upazilla, District, and national level. Given the
current context of Bangladesh, the system has a wide range of potential use and
benefits.
• These satellite based precision maps can assist the farmers to determine the
optimal use of fertilizer for each type of crops in each season and thereby
reducing the cost for the farmer and limit environmental hazards from
unplanned usage.
• Additionally, the system can be used to assess drought for each soil map units and
the associated 'Drought Assessment Framework' (DRAS) can be used for assessing
the irrigation water requirements (when and how much). The DRAS was developed
by CEGIS and BARC (UNDP, 2007)

18. Soil and Land Resource
Information System (SOLARIS)
Soil and Land Information System (SOLARIS) developed on the soil
and land resources data of Soil Resource Development Institute
(SRDI) and it was presented by Mr. J.U. Shoaib at SRDI, February
2007.

19. SOLARIS Startup Window
Solaris-DI
Solaris-GIS

20. SOLARIS Menu System
Menu System and Toolbar

21. • Analysis is integrated with the SOLARIS Data Interpreter
• User can analyzeand give feed back to the GIS unit for
updating
• User can view, print reports and charts
SOLARIS DI- Analysis Tool

22. Soil Texture –Top soil, Sub soil, Substratum
Soil Group
Land type classification
Landform
Surface Water Recession characteristics
Drainage
Available moisture
Slope classification
SOLARIS - GIS
Classified Analysis: Mapping unit based

23. SOLARIS-GIS Classified Analysis
HYV Boro suitability
District- Sherpur

24. Topsoil fertility Sherpur District
Nitrogen

25. Available Moisture- Sherpur District

26. Net Irrigation Requirement
for T. Aman crop
Royganj Upazila

27. Online Fertilizer Recommendation
System (OFRS), SRDI
Objective: To increase crop production, reduce
misuse of fertilizer, reduce crop production cost
by reducing current practice of using excessive
fertilizer and maintaining soil fertility.
The system is capable of generating location
specific fertilizer recommendation for selected
crops by analyzing the national nutrient database
developed by the institute.
The software needs only location, land type, crop
type, crop (variety) information to generate crop
specific fertilizer recommendation.

28. Data updating and processing
Lat-long
District
Upazila
Union
Physiography
Land Type
Texture
Drainage
Sampling point

29. Fertilizer Recommendation User Page

30. Fertilizer Recommendation for a particular crop

31. Union wise Fertilizer Recommendation Report

32. One stop Service for Stakeholders
Agriculture Cloud Service

33. Land cover
type
1976 2000 2010
Area (ha) % of
total
Area (ha) % of
total
Area (ha) % of
total
Agricultural
land
133030654 91.83 12742274 87.69 12176904 83.53
Non-agricul
tural land
1183605 8.17 1788307 12.31 2400867 16.47
Total 14487259 100.0 14530581 100.0 14577771 100.0
Source: Hasan et al. 2013
Agricultural Land Availability in
Bangladesh

34. Soil is wealth
If the wealth of a nation can be viewed as
its accrued assets and inherent
property, the income is the yearly
money that is derived from that wealth.
The soil is an obvious factor in the
wealth and income of a nation and may
have a clear relation to a nation’s
wealth.
So we are to use the soil and land
resources of Bangladesh rationally for
ensuring food security of the nation and
conserve for future generation.

35. Future Program of Survey Division
• Renovation of Soil Museum
• Classify the soils of Bangladesh according to
USDA and FAO-UNESCO
• Updated Nirdeshika survey
Supervise
Tungibari, Saturia, Araihazar and Dohar
undated field survey

36. THANKS