Feeding Africa’s soils :fertilizers to support Africa’s agricultural transformation

Abstract

In sub-Saharan Africa, agriculture accounts for around 80% of the livelihoods, and 70% of the income of the poorest. But African soils present inherent difficulties for agriculture, and land-use practices during the past several decades have exacerbated those difficulties through nutrient mining by crops, leaching, and inadequate erosion control. Even though the quantities of inorganic fertilizer applied are increasing in the region, usage by farmers in most countries is still very low and far below the commitment made at the 2006 Abuja Fertilizer Summit of 50 kg per ha. Recent statistics shows that fertilizer use rate is now at 17 kg NPK/ha, nearly double the baseline of 8–9 kg/ha in 2006. The collective efforts across the continent are clearly creating positive results. This book focuses on increasing the use of inorganic fertilizers as the most realistic way to overcome soil nutrient deficits and increase food production in sub-Saharan Africa. But merely increasing fertilizer use is by no means enough. Fertilizer must be combined with organic amendments to maintain soil carbon, promote soil biology and diversity, and improve soil health. Good agricultural practices are needed, including alleviating soil constraints and using improved germplasm. Together, these are the fundamentals of integrated soil fertility management. The objective is to increase awareness on the appropriate use of fertilizers and their potential to increase farm productivity and transform agriculture. The book consists of 12 chapters grouped into four main parts.