Dr. Isaac Balume

Research Interests
My research interest is on smallholder farming systems of the sub-Saharan Africa, and in particular problems related to soil fertility and the role of C, N & P on agricultural systems and environment. Spatial heterogeneity of soil fertility and microbial processes involves in the nutrient cycles to build soil health.
In the light of current global climate change, I have interest in designing and developing suitable cropping systems adapted to biotic and abiotic stress. Deepen my own research themes to strengthen knowledge and expertise on tropical soils and land use with emphasis on temporal and spatial dynamics. My previous research has explored soil fertility heterogeneity, management and soil microbial dynamics in East and Central Africa.
Under Prof. Dr. Johan Six at ETH, I will be much involved in CANNALS project with a specific task of assessing environmental, ecological and socio-economic performances across living labs to better understand food systems. I will employ experimental, farm participatory based approaches to generate soil biophysical and socio-economic assessment to understand changes from plot to farm landscapes, and from short to long term being able analyze time and special relationships on both above and below ground biodiversity, changes in soil health as well as changes on GHG (N0₂, CH₄, CO₂) emissions. New methodologies coupled to existing one will be select then fitted to agro-ecological practices to demonstrate impacts of these changes on land use systems value chains at different transition landscapes. Latter adoption of agroecological practices will be assessed for scaling up the fitted practices.

Key Topics
- Soil fertility indicators, SOC, TN, Soil pH, AvP &K C& N cycling
- Soil biodiversity, nutrifying bacteria and archaea, fungus and activity of soil enzymes
- Farm GHG emissions (CO₂,NH₄,NO₂)

Education
University of Hohenheim: Doctor of Science
October 2015- January 2022

University of Nairobi: Master in Soil Science
September 2021 – August 2013

Université Catholique de Bukavu: Bachelor in Crop Science
October 2004- June 2009

Download Curriculum Vitae (PDF, 186 KB)

Selected publications

Balume Isaac, Agumas Birhanu, Musyoki Mary, Nziguheba, Generose, Marohon Casten, Benz Martin, Vanlauwe Bernard, Cadisch George and Rasche Frank 2020. Market access and resource endowment define the soil fertility status in smallholder farming system of South-Kivu, DR Congo. Soil Use and Management. 00:1-15. external page DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/sum.12691

Balume Isaac, Agumas Birhanu, Musyoki Mary, Marhan Sven, Cadisch George and Rasche Frank 2022. Potential proteolytic enzyme activities modulate archaeal and bacterial nitrifier abudence in soils differing in acidity and organic residue treatments. Applied Soil Ecology 169 (2022)104188 external page https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2021.104188