NDLI: Appropriate technologies to replenish soil fertility in southern Africa

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Mafongoya, P. L. Batio, A. Kihara, J. Waswa, B. S.
Copyright Year	2006
Abstract	In southern Africa, soil nutrient reserves are being depleted because of continued nutrient mining without adequate replenishment. The consequent downward spiral of soil fertility has led to a corresponding decline in crop yields, food insecurity, food aid and environmental degradation. The central issue for improving agricultural productivity in southern Africa is how to build up and maintain soil fertility despite the low incomes of smallholder farmers and the increasing land and labour constraints they face. Under this review five main options namely: inorganic fertilizers, grain legumes, animal manures, integrated nutrient management and agroforestry options appropriate to smallholder farmers are presented. Issues addressed in the use of inorganic fertilizers are reduction in fertilizer costs, timely availability and use efficiency. Legumes can be used to diversify farm system productivity but this requires P and lime application to support better legume growth and biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) as well as development of markets for various legume products. Manure availability and quality are central issues in increasing smallholder farm productivity and increasing its efficiency through proper handling and application methods. Integrated nutrient management of soil fertility by combined application of both inputs will increase use efficiency of inputs and reduce costs and increase profitability; but the challenge is often how to raise adequate amounts of either inorganic or organic inputs. Issues such as quality of inputs, nutrient balancing, labour to collect and transport organic inputs and their management need to be optimized. These are the challenges of adoption as are the scaling up of these options to millions of small-scale farmers.
Starting Page	137
Ending Page	151
Page Count	15
File Format	PDF
ISSN	13851314
Journal	Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems
Volume Number	76
Issue Number	2-3
e-ISSN	15730867
Language	English
Publisher	Kluwer Academic Publishers
Publisher Date	2006-11-18
Publisher Place	Dordrecht
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Agroforestry Grain legumes Inorganic fertilizers Integrated nutrient management and Organic inputs Soil Science & Conservation
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Agronomy and Crop Science Soil Science

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

Available technologies to replenish soil fertility in East Africa

Fertiliser trees for sustainable food security in the maize-based production systems of East and Southern Africa. A review

A critical analysis of challenges and opportunities for soil fertility restoration in Sudano-Sahelian West Africa

Nitrogen and phosphorus capture and recovery efficiencies, and crop responses to a range of soil fertility management strategies in sub-Saharan Africa

Effect of the integrated use of legume residue, poultry manure and inorganic fertilizers on maize yield, nutrient uptake and soil properties

Effect of organic inputs from agroforestry species and urea on crop yield and soil properties at Wondo Genet, Ethiopia

Effect of mineral fertilizer on soil organic matter in sub-Saharan Africa

Nitrogen and phosphorus mineralization and their corresponding monetary values under long‐term integrated soil fertility management practices

Consistency, variability, and predictability of on-farm nutrient responses in four grain legumes across east and west Africa

Appropriate technologies to replenish soil fertility in southern Africa

Similar Documents

Available technologies to replenish soil fertility in East Africa

Fertiliser trees for sustainable food security in the maize-based production systems of East and Southern Africa. A review

A critical analysis of challenges and opportunities for soil fertility restoration in Sudano-Sahelian West Africa

Nitrogen and phosphorus capture and recovery efficiencies, and crop responses to a range of soil fertility management strategies in sub-Saharan Africa

Effect of the integrated use of legume residue, poultry manure and inorganic fertilizers on maize yield, nutrient uptake and soil properties

Effect of organic inputs from agroforestry species and urea on crop yield and soil properties at Wondo Genet, Ethiopia

Effect of mineral fertilizer on soil organic matter in sub-Saharan Africa

Nitrogen and phosphorus mineralization and their corresponding monetary values under long‐term integrated soil fertility management practices

Consistency, variability, and predictability of on-farm nutrient responses in four grain legumes across east and west Africa

Appropriate technologies to replenish soil fertility in southern Africa