| dc.contributor.author | Vanlauwe, Bernard |
| dc.contributor.author | Descheemaeker, Katrien |
| dc.contributor.author | Giller, Ken E. |
| dc.contributor.author | Huising, Jeroen |
| dc.contributor.author | Merckx, R. |
| dc.contributor.author | Nziguheba, Generose |
| dc.contributor.author | Zingore, Shamie |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2019-12-04T10:57:58Z |
| dc.date.available | 2019-12-04T10:57:58Z |
| dc.date.issued | 2015 |
| dc.identifier.citation | Vanlauwe, B., Descheemaeker, K., Giller, K.E., Huising, J., Merckx, R., Nziguheba, G., & Zingore, S. (2015). Integrated soil fertility management in sub-Saharan Africa: unravelling local adaptation. Soil, 1, 491–508. |
| dc.identifier.issn | 2199-3971 |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12478/886 |
| dc.description.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 environmentsIntensification 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 |
| dc.language.iso | en |
| dc.subject | Soil Fertility |
| dc.subject | Smallholders |
| dc.subject | Crop Productivity |
| dc.subject | Germplasm Resources |
| dc.title | Integrated soil fertility management in sub-Saharan Africa: unravelling local adaptation
Integrated soil fertility management in sub-Saharan Africa: unravelling local adaptation |
| dc.type | Journal Article |
| dc.description.version | Peer Review |
| cg.contributor.affiliation | International Institute of Tropical Agriculture |
| cg.contributor.affiliation | Wageningen University and Research Centre |
| cg.contributor.affiliation | Katholieke Universiteit Leuven |
| cg.contributor.affiliation | International Fertilizer Development Center |
| cg.contributor.affiliation | International Plant Nutrition Institute |
| cg.coverage.region | Africa South Of Sahara |
| cg.coverage.country | Kenya |
| cg.authorship.types | CGIAR and advanced research institutes |
| cg.iitasubject | Integrated Soil Fertility Management |
| cg.journal | Soil |
| cg.howpublished | Formally Published |
| cg.accessibilitystatus | Open Access |
| local.dspaceid | 76385 |
| cg.identifier.doi | https://dx.doi.org/10.5194/soil-1-491-2015 |
