Popular myths around soil fertility management in sub-Saharan Africa

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorVanlauwe, B.
dc.contributor.authorGiller, K.E.
dc.date.accessioned2014-05-26T08:27:13Z
dc.date.available2014-05-26T08:27:13Z
dc.date.issued2011-04
dc.descriptiondoi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2006.03.016en_US
dc.description.abstractThe aim of this paper is to demystify some of the popular myths related to tropical soil fertility management that have gained hold in the development community and are often being promulgated by NGO's and development agencies in the tropics. Negative nutrient balances at farm scale or at larger scales are very often presented as proof that soil fertility is at stake in SSA. However, nutrient balances at plot and farm section scale are not always negative. In areas with large nutrient stocks, short-term nutrient mining is fully acceptable. Fertilizer use continues to face considerable controversy in SSA. In this paper, we demonstrate that fertilizers rarely damage the soil; that fertilizers are being used in SSA, often with favourable value-to-cost ratios; and that fertilizers do not cause eutrophication in SSA. Rock phosphates are abundantly present in SSA but most are poorly soluble. Adding these phosphates to compost heaps does not enhance the short-term availability of their P. Although organic inputs are essential soil amendments besides fertilizer, organic inputs alone cannot sustain crop production due to limitations in their quality and availability. Organic resources can also potentially stimulate harmful pests and diseases. Legumes are often advocated as important sources of organic matter but not all legumes fix nitrogen, require inoculation, or are a source of free nitrogen, as even green manures require land and labour. Certain grain legumes with high N harvest indices do not improve soil fertility, but remove net amounts of N from the soil. These myths need correction if we are to harness the role of science in the overall goal of assisting farmers to address the acute problems of poor soil fertility for smallholder farmers in SSA.en_US
dc.identifier.citationAgriculture, Ecosystems & Environment Volume 116, Issues 1–2, August 2006, Pages 34–46en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/9613
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherElsevier Massonen_US
dc.subjectBiological N fixationen_US
dc.subjectFertilizeren_US
dc.subjectLegumesen_US
dc.subjectNutrient balancesen_US
dc.subjectOrganic resourcesen_US
dc.subjectRock phosphateen_US
dc.titlePopular myths around soil fertility management in sub-Saharan Africaen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Popular myths around soil fertility management in sub-Saharan Africa.pdf
Size:
4.55 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Abstract
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.71 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
RP-Department of Environmental Science