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A fourth principle is required to define conservation agriculture in subSaharan Africa: the appropriate use of fertilizer to enhance crop productivity

dc.contributor.authorVanlauwe, Bernard
dc.contributor.authorWendt, J.
dc.contributor.authorGiller, Ken E.
dc.contributor.authorCorbeels, Marc
dc.contributor.authorGerard, Bruno G.
dc.contributor.authorNolte, C.
dc.date.accessioned2019-12-04T11:03:28Z
dc.date.available2019-12-04T11:03:28Z
dc.date.issued2014
dc.identifier.citationVanlauwe, B., Wendt, J., Giller, K., Corbeels, M., Gerard, B. & Nolte, C. (2014). A fourth principle is required to define conservation agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa: the appropriate use of fertilizer to enhance crop productivity. Field Crops Research, 155, 10-13.
dc.identifier.issn0378-4290
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12478/1085
dc.description.abstractIntensification of agricultural systems in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is considered a pre-condition for alleviation of rural poverty. Conservation Agriculture (CA) has been promoted to achieve this goal, based on three principles: minimum tillage, soil surface cover, and diversified crop rotations. CA originated in regions where fertilizer is commonly used and crop productivity is high, ensuring an abundance of crop residues. By contrast, crop yields are generally low in SSA and organic residues in short supply and farmers face competing demands for their use. Since minimal tillage without mulch commonly results in depressed yields, the use of fertilizer to enhance crop productivity and organic residue availability is essential for smallholder farmers to engage in CA. This is especially true since alternative ways to increase organic matter availability have largely failed. A case study from Kenya clearly demonstrates how fertilizer increases maize stover productivity above thresholds for minimal initial soil cover required for initiating CA (about 3 tonne ha?1). We conclude that strategies for using CA in SSA must integrate a fourth principle – the appropriate use of fertilizer – to increase the likelihood of benefits for smallholder farmers.
dc.language.isoen
dc.subjectMulch
dc.subjectSoil Fertility
dc.subjectSmallholders
dc.subjectFarmers
dc.titleA fourth principle is required to define conservation agriculture in subSaharan Africa: the appropriate use of fertilizer to enhance crop productivity
dc.typeJournal Article
dc.description.versionPeer Review
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Institute of Tropical Agriculture
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Fertilizer Development Center
cg.contributor.affiliationWageningen University and Research Centre
cg.contributor.affiliationCentre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement
cg.contributor.affiliationEmpresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuaria
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Maize and Wheat Improvement Center
cg.contributor.affiliationFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
cg.coverage.regionAfrica South Of Sahara
cg.coverage.countryKenya
cg.isijournalISI Journal
cg.authorship.typesCGIAR and advanced research institute
cg.iitasubjectSoil Fertility
cg.journalField Crops Research
cg.howpublishedFormally Published
cg.accessibilitystatusLimited Access
local.dspaceid78083
cg.identifier.doihttps://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2013.10.002


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