Soil fertility challenges and Biofertiliser as a viable alternative for increasing smallholder farmer crop productivity in sub-Saharan Africa

There has been low uptake of soil fertility improving tree technologies that have been promoted as alternatives to the costly inorganic fertiliser among the poor resource farmers of Sub Saharan Africa. This is surprising given that the majority of smallholder farmers cannot afford inorganic fertilisers. Are these technologies effective? Using data collected in 2013 from 1,231 households across six districts of Zambia, this study showed that the tree technologies increased maize productivity. However, increases in maize productivity were less than those obtained from controlled on-station and field experiments where the technologies could double or more than double maize productivity according to literature. The technologies capacity to marginally contribute to wealth creation was confirmed. Socioeconomic constraints including labour, information access, land and credit need to be tackled for the technologies to give maximum benefits. Research on fertiliser trees should therefore be redirected towards the discovery of such resource constraints saving technologies.

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Integrated soil fertility management in sub-Saharan Africa: unravelling local adaptation

SOIL ◽

10.5194/soil-1-491-2015 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 491-508 ◽

Cited By ~ 111

Author(s):

B. Vanlauwe ◽

K. Descheemaeker ◽

K. E. Giller ◽

J. Huising ◽

R. Merckx ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Fertility ◽

Local Adaptation ◽

Management Practices ◽

Crop Productivity ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Soil Fertility Management ◽

Integrated Soil Fertility Management ◽

Farm Level ◽

Fertility Management ◽

Sub Saharan

Abstract. Intensification of smallholder agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa is necessary to address rural poverty and natural resource degradation. Integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) is a means to enhance crop productivity while maximizing the agronomic efficiency (AE) of applied inputs, and can thus contribute to sustainable intensification. ISFM consists of a set of best practices, preferably used in combination, including the use of appropriate germplasm, the appropriate use of fertilizer and of organic resources, and good agronomic practices. The large variability in soil fertility conditions within smallholder farms is also recognized within ISFM, including soils with constraints beyond those addressed by fertilizer and organic inputs. The variable biophysical environments that characterize smallholder farming systems have profound effects on crop productivity and AE, and targeted application of agro-inputs and management practices is necessary to enhance AE. Further, management decisions depend on the farmer's resource endowments and production objectives. In this paper we discuss the "local adaptation" component of ISFM and how this can be conceptualized within an ISFM framework, backstopped by analysis of AE at plot and farm level. At plot level, a set of four constraints to maximum AE is discussed in relation to "local adaptation": soil acidity, secondary nutrient and micronutrient (SMN) deficiencies, physical constraints, and drought stress. In each of these cases, examples are presented whereby amendments and/or practices addressing these have a significantly positive impact on fertilizer AE, including mechanistic principles underlying these effects. While the impact of such amendments and/or practices is easily understood for some practices (e.g. the application of SMNs where these are limiting), for others, more complex processes influence AE (e.g. water harvesting under varying rainfall conditions). At farm scale, adjusting fertilizer applications to within-farm soil fertility gradients has the potential to increase AE compared with blanket recommendations, in particular where fertility gradients are strong. In the final section, "local adaption" is discussed in relation to scale issues and decision support tools are evaluated as a means to create a better understanding of complexity at farm level and to communicate appropriate scenarios for allocating agro-inputs and management practices within heterogeneous farming environments.

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Integrated soil fertility management in sub-Saharan Africa: unravelling local adaptation

SOIL Discussions ◽

10.5194/soild-1-1239-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 1239-1286 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

B. Vanlauwe ◽

K. Descheemaeker ◽

K. E. Giller ◽

J. Huising ◽

R. Merckx ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Fertility ◽

Local Adaptation ◽

Management Practices ◽

Crop Productivity ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Soil Fertility Management ◽

Integrated Soil Fertility Management ◽

Farm Level ◽

Fertility Management ◽

Sub Saharan

Abstract. Intensification of smallholder agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa is necessary to address rural poverty and natural resource degradation. Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) is a means to enhance crop productivity while maximizing the agronomic efficiency (AE) of applied inputs, and can thus contribute to sustainable intensification. ISFM consists of a set of best practices, preferably used in combination, including the use of appropriate germplasm, the appropriate use of fertilizer and of organic resources, and good agronomic practices. The large variability in soil fertility conditions within smallholder farms is also recognised within ISFM, including soils with constraints beyond those addressed by fertilizer and organic inputs. The variable biophysical environments that characterize smallholder farming systems have profound effects on crop productivity and AE and targeted application of limited agro-inputs and management practices is necessary to enhance AE. Further, management decisions depend on the farmer's resource endowments and production objectives. In this paper we discuss the "local adaptation" component of ISFM and how this can be conceptualized within an ISFM framework, backstopped by analysis of AE at plot and farm level. At plot level, a set of four constraints to maximum AE is discussed in relation to "local adaptation": soil acidity, secondary nutrient and micro-nutrient (SMN) deficiencies, physical constraints, and drought stress. In each of these cases, examples are presented whereby amendments and/or practices addressing these have a significantly positive impact on fertilizer AE, including mechanistic principles underlying these effects. While the impact of such amendments and/or practices is easily understood for some practices (e.g., the application of SMNs where these are limiting), for others, more complex interactions with fertilizer AE can be identified (e.g., water harvesting under varying rainfall conditions). At farm scale, adjusting fertilizer applications within-farm soil fertility gradients has the potential to increase AE compared with blanket recommendations, in particular where fertility gradients are strong. In the final section, "local adaption" is discussed in relation to scale issues and decision support tools are evaluated as a means to create a better understanding of complexity at farm level and to communicate best scenarios for allocating agro-inputs and management practices within heterogeneous farming environments.

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Making Agricultural Input Subsidies More Effective and Profitable in Africa

Food Systems Sustainability and Environmental Policies in Modern Economies - Advances in Environmental Engineering and Green Technologies ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-3631-4.ch008 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 172-187

Author(s):

Joseph S. Kanyamuka ◽

Charles B. L. Jumbe ◽

Jacob Ricker-Gilbert

Keyword(s):

Soil Fertility ◽

Crop Residues ◽

Crop Productivity ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Soil Fertility Management ◽

African Countries ◽

Farm Productivity ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Support Programmes ◽

Agricultural Input

The combined effects of declining soil fertility, continuous mono-cropping, poor crop residues management, and limited resources are considered the major constraints to increased crop productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is for this reason that most African governments in Sub-Saharan Africa have been implementing farm input support programmes to boost smallholder production. While substantial amounts of resources are committed to support such programmes, evidence suggests that the increased use of modern inputs such as inorganic fertilizers on the main staple food crops appear to be only marginally profitable or even unprofitable. There is a renewed realization that the use of fertilizer input alone to raise farm productivity is likely to be impeded, if sufficient attention is not given to complementary interventions such as integrated soil fertility management technologies and extension services. This chapter provides evidence from several African countries on the role of complementary interventions in enhancing profitability, effectiveness, and efficiency with which farm inputs such as inorganic fertilizer and improved seed are applied.

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Circular Bioeconomy Research for Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: Innovations, Gaps, and Actions

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13041926 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 1926 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Shiferaw Feleke ◽

Steven Michael Cole ◽

Haruna Sekabira ◽

Rousseau Djouaka ◽

Victor Manyong

Keyword(s):

Gap Analysis ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Crop Productivity ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

International Institute ◽

The Public ◽

Secondary Sources ◽

Use Efficiency ◽

Sub Saharan

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has applied the concept of ‘circular bioeconomy’ to design solutions to address the degradation of natural resources, nutrient-depleted farming systems, hunger, and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Over the past decade, IITA has implemented ten circular bioeconomy focused research for development (R4D) interventions in several countries in the region. This article aims to assess the contributions of IITA’s circular bioeconomy focused innovations towards economic, social, and environmental outcomes using the outcome tracking approach, and identify areas for strengthening existing circular bioeconomy R4D interventions using the gap analysis method. Data used for the study came from secondary sources available in the public domain. Results indicate that IITA’s circular bioeconomy interventions led to ten technological innovations (bio-products) that translated into five economic, social, and environmental outcomes, including crop productivity, food security, resource use efficiency, job creation, and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Our gap analysis identified eight gaps leading to a portfolio of five actions needed to enhance the role of circular bioeconomy in SSA. The results showcase the utility of integrating a circular bioeconomy approach in R4D work, especially how using such an approach can lead to significant economic, social, and environmental outcomes. The evidence presented can help inform the development of a framework to guide circular bioeconomy R4D at IITA and other research institutes working in SSA. Generating a body of evidence on what works, including the institutional factors that create enabling environments for circular bioeconomy approaches to thrive, is necessary for governments and donors to support circular bioeconomy research that will help solve some of the most pressing challenges in SSA as populations grow and generate more waste, thus exacerbating a changing climate using the linear economy model.

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