Soil Greenhouse Gas Fluxes From Maize Production Under Different Soil Fertility Management Practices in East Africa

The production of cereals, tubers, and vegetables largely depends on the application of organic and inorganic fertilizers to offset their nutrients requirement. In this chapter, the authors identify different soil fertility management practices the maize farmers are using and examine the economic benefits of such practices in maize production. To complete the study, 237 maize farmers across Kogi and Kwara States, Nigeria were investigated. Descriptive statistics, gross margin, and multinomial logit tools were used to analyze the data. The results show that majority of the maize farmers (41.40%) use only inorganic material. Labour employed in the application of fertility materials, distance to the source of fertility materials, the quantity of seed planted, educational attainment, and gender of the maize farmer were the determinants of the use of fertility management practices relative to integrated soil fertility management (ISFM). The analyses of the results show that the use of ISFM for maize production is the most profitable method with a profitability ratio of 2.29.

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Awareness of Integrated Soil Fertility Management Practices in the Savelugu Municipal of the Northern Region of Ghana

Rural Sustainability Research ◽

10.2478/plua-2020-0005 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 43 (338) ◽

pp. 35-41

Author(s):

Ammal Abukari ◽

Rahamatu Abukari

Keyword(s):

Soil Fertility ◽

Management Practices ◽

Household Size ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Inorganic Fertilizer ◽

Small Scale ◽

Soil Fertility Management ◽

Appropriate Use ◽

Integrated Soil Fertility Management ◽

Fertility Management

AbstractIn sub-Saharan Africa intensifying small-scale farming is essential in addressing poverty related issues in rural communities and the degradation of natural resources. Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) are the best practices used to improve the productivity of crops whilst maximizing agronomic efficiency of inputs applied and hence contributing to sustainable intensification. ISFM usually include the appropriate use of inorganic fertilizer and organic resources, good agronomic practices and appropriate use of germplasm. The survey was carried-out on the awareness of Integrated Soil Fertility Management practices in the Savelugu Municipal of Northern Ghana to study the awareness of integrated soil fertility management practices amongst farmers through the administration of questionnaires. A multistage method of sampling was used in selecting thirty (30) respondents randomly from five (5) selected communities namely Jana, Yapalsi, Diari, Nabogu and Gushie to make up a total sample size of 150 respondents. Frequency distribution and percentages were used to represent the data. Correlation analysis was used to test for the relationship between awareness, educational level and household size. The survey showed that majority of the respondents at ages between 21 and 30 years were married and majority with household size of 3 to 5 as well as primary and secondary education. Farming activities were carried-out by hand (80%). Majority of the respondents (43.3%) were informed about ISFM through demonstrations and 20% of the farmers apply inorganic fertilizer. About 85.5% of the respondents were aware of ISFM. The research also revealed that ISFM improves production and supports finances of respondents. The assessment of respondents’ perception of ISFM revealed a positive agreement of the effect of ISFM on soil health as well as improved production. In conclusion, it is thus suggested that it is needful for the involvement of the government on the adoption of ISFM via Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) locally and or internationally for a suitable advancement and to guarantee a sustainable environment with a world-wide corporation for improvement.

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Comparative Analysis of the Current and Potential Role of Legumes in Integrated Soil Fertility Management in East Africa

Fighting Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Multiple Roles of Legumes in Integrated Soil Fertility Management ◽

10.1007/978-94-007-1536-3_7 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 151-173 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

D. N. Mugendi ◽

B. S. Waswa ◽

M. W. Mucheru-Muna ◽

J. M. Kimetu ◽

C. Palm

Keyword(s):

Comparative Analysis ◽

Soil Fertility ◽

East Africa ◽

Potential Role ◽

Soil Fertility Management ◽

Integrated Soil Fertility Management ◽

Fertility Management

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Communication channels used in dissemination of soil fertility management practices in the central highlands of Kenya S. W. KIMARU-MUCHAI, M. W. MUCHERU-MUNA, J . N. MUGWE,

Agro-Ecological Intensification of Agricultural Systems in the African Highlands ◽

10.4324/9780203114742-36 ◽

2013 ◽

pp. 301-311

Keyword(s):

Soil Fertility ◽

Management Practices ◽

Communication Channels ◽

Soil Fertility Management ◽

Fertility Management ◽

Central Highlands

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Biophysical and socio-economic tools for assessing soil fertility: A case of western hills, Nepal

Agronomy Journal of Nepal ◽

10.3126/ajn.v1i0.7536 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 1 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

BP Tripathi ◽

JE Jones

Keyword(s):

Soil Fertility ◽

Management Practices ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Soil Management ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Integrated System ◽

Residue Management ◽

Soil Fertility Management ◽

Fertility Management ◽

Early Results

The middle mountain region of Nepal, which occupies some 30% of the total land, is the homeland of 45% of the total population, with agriculture being the main source of their livelihoods. Hill farming is primarily based on organic manure with livestock, forest and crops being major components of an integrated system. The aim of this study is to develop and promote improved methods for research and development organizations to identify cost-effective and appropriate soil fertility management strategies through; providing an improved understanding of the biophysical and socio-economic factors affecting the adaptability of sustainable soil management strategies in hillside systems, developing methodologies for evaluating soil fertility technologies and management systems for differently resource farmers in different farming systems, and strengthening the capability of local professionals in collaborating institutions to provide useful information to farmers. The work is placing emphasis on promoting cost-effective methods of soil fertility management, building on farmers' own knowledge and systems. Participatory techniques have been used for gaining a better understanding of fertility indicators, trends and existing soil management practices during 2000/01 in the western hills of Nepal. Farmers are now concerned that increasing amounts of chemical fertilizer at increasingly higher cost have to be applied, soils are becoming “harder” and production is declining. As a result farmers in four agro-ecological zones opted to either test methods for “improving” the quality of farm yard manure (FYM), or “improve” crop residue management. Early results show that through covering the FYM with black plastic sheets, yield increases of over 30% can be achieved. The use of participatory farm management techniques is providing a basis for local NGOs and farmers to evaluate their own experiments and develop soil fertility technologies and systems for their environments.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajn.v1i0.7536 Agronomy Journal of Nepal (Agron JN) Vol. 1: 2010 pp.1-9

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Soil Fertility Management for Better Crop Production

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy10091349 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 1349

Author(s):

John Havlin ◽

Ron Heiniger

Keyword(s):

Soil Fertility ◽

Crop Production ◽

Management Practices ◽

Nutrient Management ◽

Root Zone ◽

Nutrient Use Efficiency ◽

Soil Nutrient ◽

Crop Productivity ◽

Soil Fertility Management ◽

Fertility Management

Increasing crop productivity per unit of land area to meet future food and fiber demand increases both soil nutrient removal and the importance of replenishing soil fertility through efficient nutrient management practices. Significant progress in enhancing nutrient-use efficiency in production agriculture requires improved estimates of plant-available nutrients in the root zone, enhanced crop response to applied nutrients, and reduced offsite nutrient transport. This special issue, Soil Fertility Management for Better Crop Production, presents 15 manuscripts that advance our knowledge of interrelated soil, plant, and management factors important to increasing the nutrient availability and crop recovery of applied nutrients.

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