Examining the Relationship Between Managing Cropland for Soil Health and Food Security in El Salvador.

Cropland soil health comprises a number of soil biological, chemical, and physical parameters, and research has begun to emerge demonstrating that its impact on crop yield, yield stability, and food security can be significant. Food insecurity is a particularly pressing challenge in the Latin American tropics for small farmers such as those in rural El Salvador. Smallholder farmers, the majority of farmers in El Salvador, support the bulk of the nation’s grain production. Therefore, substantial improvements in the nation’s food security can be achieved by improving yield and sustainability on smallholder farms.  The objective of our research, currently being conducted in this agrarian country, is to determine if farms with increased soil health have improved household food security and livelihoods. A stratified random sampling method was utilized where farm households were classed into low, middle or high food insecurity strata. Twenty farmers agreed to participate in this study, with at least six farmers in each strata, respectively.  Soil sampling points were established using GIS and soil was sampled in three different fields of each farm. Soil parameters contributing to soil health were chosen based on the Cornell Soil Health Testing Kit, the NRCS Soil Quality Kit, the CATIE Agroecological Soil Test Manual, and according to logistical constraints of working in El Salvador. Spearman correlations (for non-parametric data) and t-tests were used to determine the relationships between overall soil health, individual soil parameters, and food security. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was utilized to compare soil parameter means among different food security strata. Soil health was found to have a positive impact on food security, but the effect was moderated by other socio-economic factors. Further results will be shared at the conference presentation.