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Soil Resources Development Institute (SRDI)
a government organisation established in 1983 after the Department of Soil Survey was reorganised, expanded, and made into a complete institution for doing soil surveys. The Department of Soil Survey itself was established in 1961 as a project under FAO/UNDP and government of Pakistan to carry out reconnaissance soil survey of the country. The follow-up activities of the project were continued by the Central Soil Research Institute from 1969. In 1972 after the emergence of Bangladesh, the project was named as Department of Soil Survey under the Ministry of Agriculture. The project activities expanded to include the interpretation of soil survey data for various users' needs and the study of certain field properties of soils required to characterise soil behaviour more precisely. The reconnaissance soil survey of the country was completed in 1975. From 1975 onwards, detailed soil surveys were carried out for various clients. The Soil Resources Development Institute is not a research institute as such, but a service oriented organisation. It has the following objectives: to continuously generate information on various soil and land resources of the country, and prepare maps and reports of such surveys; to provide services to development agencies with basic data on soils, land capability, and crop suitability for preparation of both short and long term agricultural development plans; to coordinate the activities of beneficiary agencies at local, regional and national levels regarding planning and execution of land use development; to provide simplified guides on soil and agricultural development possibilities for agricultural extension and research workers; to provide soil and fertiliser testing services to farmers and fertiliser dealers; and to impart training to agricultural extension and research workers of various levels on proper utilisation of soil survey information, land use planning, cropping potential, etc. The chief executive of the Institute is the Director. The present staff strength is about 467 (191 technical staff, 10 non-technical, and 266 supporting staff). The activities of the Institute are run through five technical divisions and an administrative section. The five divisions are: On-farm division The major functions of this division are soil testing and survey. It is also responsible for providing advisory services on soil maps, reports, and data and utilisation guides to those who are involved in agricultural research, extension and development activities. There are four regional and 20 district offices of this division located in the larger districts. Soil analytical division There are 4 regional laboratories, one each at Joydebpur, Comilla, Rajshahi, and Khulna, as well as one central laboratory at Dhaka. Their major function is to provide analytical information of soil samples. Research and development division Under this division there are 4 centres/sections, ie the Soil Conservation and Watershed Management Centre located at Bandarban; the Soil and Water Salinity Management Centre located at Batiaghata, Khulna; the Soil Physics and Mineralogy section, and Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry section. Some technologies on soil water conservation developed at the Soil Conservation and Watershed Management Centre are being disseminated among the hill farmers. Soil survey division This division has two sections: Soil Survey and Classification, and Cartography and Remote Sensing. This division provides interpretation of survey data used for soil classification and also helps prepare soil and crop database through mapping and remote sensing technology. Land use planning division This division is responsible for preparing land use maps on the basis of agroclimate, land types, and soil qualities. The division also provides digitized graphs and maps through the introduction of the geographical information systems (GIS).
In addition to the above divisional/sectional activities, SRDI has some special projects which provide useful services to the nation. These include: Soil Testing, Management and SRDI projects; Upazila Land and Soil Resource Utilization Guide (Upazila Nirdeshika); Farmers' Advisory Service through Static Mobile Soil Testing Van (MSTV); and Soil Health Card. [Md Shahidul Islam]
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