To What Extent Can Composting Contribute to Soil Reproduction? A Comparative Study Between Dutch and Lebanese Farmers.

Dutch farmers are looking for alternatives to chemical fertilizers for several reasons, including the high prices of fertilizers, high nitrogen content, and drought. Similarly, Lebanese farmers are seeking a better replacement for chemical fertilizers. The underlying reasons for this replacement include the unavailability of these fertilizers due to Lebanon's economic crisis, the unavailability of high-quality local substitutes, and the high prices of fertilizers when available. Our research will be a comparative study conducted between the Netherlands and Lebanon. This study aims to assess the perceptions of soil among farmers in the two countries and how they perceive agricultural paradigms and composting techniques and to understand to what extent can composting methods contribute to soil reproduction. Our target audience will be farmers already looking for alternatives to chemical fertilizers. There will be two study groups, one in the Netherlands and another in Lebanon, and each will include seven farmers. First, interviews will be conducted with these farmers to identify which composting method (vermicomposting, bokashi composting, hot composting, cold composting) has been adopted or will be adopted for soil regeneration. After the interviews, the next step will involve implementing each farmer's composting method of choice and conducting soil analyses. At a later stage, the results of each composting method will be assessed and analyzed to compare and conclude whether composting contributed to the reproduction of soil and to what extent.