Innovations as Key to the Green Revolution in Africa: Exploring the Scientific Facts

ISBN-13: 9789048125418 / Angielski / Twarda / 2011 / 1363 str.

Andre Bationo; Boaz S. Waswa; Jeremiah M. Okeyo

Opis

Africa can achieve self sufficiency in food production through adoption of innovations in the agriculture sector. Numerous soil fertility and crop production technologies have been generated through research, however, wide adoption has been low. African farmers need better technologies, more sustainable practices, and fertilizers to improve and sustain their crop productivity and to prevent further degradation of agricultural lands. The agricultural sector also needs to be supported by functional institutions and policies that will be able to respond to emerging challenges of globalization and climate change.

Spis treści

THEME 1: Constraints and Opportunities for the African Green Revolution

New Challenges and Opportunities for Integrated Soil Fertility Management in Africa; Meeting the Demands for Plant Nutrients for an African Green Revolution: The Role of Indigenous Agrominerals; The geological basis of farming in Africa; The Challenges in Accessing Agricultural Innovations by West African Family Farms: Institutional and Policy Implications; Achieving an African Green Revolution: A Perspective from an Agri-Input Supplier; The African Green Revolution and the Role of Partnerships in East Africa; Optimizing Agricultural Water Management for the Green Revolution in Africa; Ex-ante evaluation of the impact of a structural change in fertilizer procurement method in sub-Saharan Africa; Preparing Groups of Poor Farmers for Market Engagement: Five Key Skill Sets; Fertilizer microdosing and “Warrantage” or inventory credit system to improve food security and farmers’ income in West Africa; African Green Revolution requires a secure source of Phosphorus: A review of alternative sources and improved management options of phosphorus

THEME 2: Potential and feasibility of use of external input and improved soil and crop management to achieve the African Green Revolution

Soybean varieties, developed in lowland West Africa, retain their promiscuity and dual-purpose nature under highland conditions in Western Kenya; Long-term effect of continuous cropping of irrigated rice on soil and yield trends in the Sahel of West Africa; Conservation tillage, local organic resources and nitrogen fertilizer combinations affect maize productivity in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands in Kenya; Long-term land management effects on crop yields and soil properties in the sub-humid highlands of Kenya; Integrated management of fertilizers, weed and rice genotypes can improve rice productivity; Integrated soil fertility management for increased maize production in the degraded farmlands of the Guinea Savanna Zone of Ghana using devil-bean (Crotalaria retusa) and fertilizer nitrogen; Effect of organic inputs and mineral fertilizer on maize yield in a Ferrasol and a Nitisol soil in central Kenya; Effects of Conservation Tillage, Crop Residue and Cropping Systems on changes in Soil Organic Matter and Maize-Legume Production: A Case Study in Teso District; Benefits of integrated soil fertility and water management in semi-arid West Africa: an example study in Burkina Faso; Survival and Soil Nutrient Changes during Five Years Growth of Sixteen Faidherbia albida Provenances in Semi Arid Baringo District, Kenya; The “secret” behind the good performance of Tithonia Diversifolia on P availability as compared to other green manures; Biological nitrogen fixation potential by soybeans in two low-P soils of southern Cameroon; Roles for herbaceous and grain legumes, kraal manure and inorganic fertilizers for soil fertility management in eastern Uganda; The Effects Of Integration Of Organic And Inorganic Sources Of Nutrient On Maize Yield In Central Kenya; Forage Legume-Cereal Double Cropping in Bimodal Rainfall Highland Tropics: The Kenyan Case; Effects Of Conservation Tillage, Fertilizer Inputs And Cropping Systems On Soil Properties And Crop Yield In Western Kenya; Effect of manure application on soil nitrogen availability to intercropped sorghum and cowpea at three sites in eastern Kenya; The Effect Of Organic Based Nutrient Management Strategies On Soil Nutrient Availability And Maize Performance In Njoro, Kenya; Using forage legumes to improve soil fertility for enhanced grassland productivity of semi-arid rangelands of Kajiado District, Kenya; Potential of cowpea, pigeonpea and greengram to contribute  nitrogen to maize in rotation on Ferralsol in Tanga – Tanzania; Model Validation through Long Term Promising Sustainable Maize/Pigeon Pea Residue Management in Malawi; Use of Tithonia biomass, Maize residues and Inoraganic phosphate on Climbing Bean yield and Soil properties in Rwanda; Potential of Increased Maize and Soybean Production in Uasin Gishu District, Kenya, Resulting from Soil Acidity Amendment using Minjingu Phosphate Rock and Agricultural Lime; Residual effects of contrasting organic residues on maize growth and phosphorus accumulation over four cropping cycles in savanna soils; Interactive effects of selected nutrient resources and tied-ridging on plant growth performance in a semi-arid smallholder farming environment in central Zimbabwe; In-Vitro selection of Soybean accessions for induction of germination of Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth seeds and their effect on Striga hermonthica attachment on associated maize; Innovations In Cassava Production For Food Security And Forest Conservation In Western Côte D’Ivoire; Promoting uses of indigenous phosphate rock for soil fertility recapitalization in the Sahel: state of the knowledge on the review of the rock phosphates of Burkina Faso; Selecting indigenous P solubilizing bacteria for cowpea and millet improvement in nutrient deficient acidic soils of southern Cameroon; Evaluation of Human Urine as a Source of Nitrogen in the Co-Composting of Pine Bark and Lawn Clippings; Extractable Bray-1 Phosphorus and Crop Yields as influenced by Addition of Phosphatic Fertilizers of Various Solubilities integrated with manure in an Acid Soil; Seedbed Types and Integrated Nutrient Management Options for Cowpea Production in the Southern Rangelands of Semi-Arid Eastern Kenya; Land and Water Management Research and Development in Arid And Semi-Arid Lands Of Kenya; Evaluation of establishment, biomass productivity and quality of improved fallow species in a ferralic arenosol at coastal region in Kenya; Assessment of potato bacterial wilt disease status in North Rift Valley of Kenya: A Survey; Soil fertility variability in relation to the yields of maize and soybean under intensifying cropping systems in the tropical savannas of north-eastern Nigeria; An evaluation of Lucerne varieties suitable for different agro ecological zones in Kenya; Water Harvesting And Integrated Nutrient Management Options For Maize-Cowpea Production In Semi-Arid Eastern Kenya; The potential of Ipomoea stenosiphon as a soil fertility ameliorant in the semi-arid tropics; Effect of Aluminium concentration and liming acid soils on the growth of selected maize cultivars grown on sandy soils in Southern Africa; The role of Biological Technologies in Land Quality Management: Drivers for Farmer’s Adoption in the Central Highlands of Kenya; Biophysical characterization of Oasis soils for efficient use of external inputs in Marsabit District: Their potentials and limitations; Multi-functional properties of mycorrhizal fungi for crop production: The case study of banana development and drought tolerance; Effect of Phosphorus Sources and Rates on Sugarcane Yield and Quality in Kibos, Nyando Sugar Zone; Natural and antropic determinants of soil carbon stocks in two agro-ecosystems in Burkina Faso; Integrated Soil Fertility Management Involving Promiscuous Dual-purpose Soybean and Upland NERICA Enhanced Rice Productivity in the Savannas; Nitrogen Use in Maize (Zea Mays) –Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajans) Intercrop in Semi- arid Conditions of Kenya; Nitrogen and phosphorus capture and recovery efficiencies, and crop responses to a range of soil fertility management strategies in sub-Saharan Africa; Greenhouse Evaluation Of Agronomic Effectiveness Of Unacidulated And Partially Acidulated Phosphate  Rock From Kodjari And The Effect Of  Mixed Crop On Plant P Nutrition; Effect Of Continuous Mineral And Organic Fertilizers Inputs And Plowing On Groundnut Yield And Soil Fertility In A Groundnut – Sorghum Rotation In Central Burkina Faso; Soil Inorganic N and N uptake by maize following application of legumes biomass, tithonia and manure, and inorganic fertilizer in central Kenya; Changes in δ¹⁵N and N nutrition in nodulated cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) and maize (Zea mays L.) grown in mixed culture with exogenous P supply; Cation flux in incubated plant residues and its effect on pH and plant residue alkalinity; Agronomic efficiency of human stool and urine on the production of maize and egg plant in Burkina Faso; Potential for Reuse of Human Urine in Peri-Urban Farming; Towards sustainable land use in Vertisols in Kenya: challenges and opportunities; Potential Nitrogen Contribution of Climbing Bean to Subsequent Maize Crop in Rotation in South Kivu Province of Democratic Republic of Congo; Investigation on the Germination of Zanthoxylum Gilletii Seeds (De Wild) Waterm (East African Satinwood); Combining ability for Grain Yield of Imidazolinone Resistant-maize inbred lines under Striga (Striga hermonthica) infestation; Identification of plant genetic resources with high potential contribution to the soil fertility enhancement in the Sahel with special interest in fallow vegetation; Within-farm variability in soil fertility management in smallholder farms of Kirege location, Central Highlands of Kenya; Residual Effects of Applied Phosphorus Fertilizer on Maize Grain Yield and Phosphorus Recovery from a Long-Term Trial in Western Kenya; Potential of combined effect of organic and inorganic fertilisers on crop productivity; Phenotypic Characterization Of Local Maize Landraces For Drought Tolerance In Kenya; Targeting resources within diverse, heterogeneous and dynamic farming systems: towards a ‘uniquely African green revolution; Exploring crop yield benefits of integrated water and nutrient management technologies in the Desert Margins of Africa: Experiences from semi-arid Zimbabwe; Population dynamics of mixed indigenous legume fallows and influence on subsequent maize following mineral P application in smallholder farming systems of Zimbabwe; Formulating crop management options for Africa’s drought-prone regions: Taking account of rainfall risk using modeling; Residue quality and N fertilizer do not influence aggregate stabilization of C and N in two tropical soils with contrasting texture; Interaction between Resource Quality, Aggregate Turnover, Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling in the Central Highlands of Kenya; Performances of Cotton-Maize Rotation system as Affected by Ploughing Frequency and Soil Fertility Management in Burkina Faso; Developing Standard Protocols for Soil Quality Monitoring and Assessment; Increasing productivity through maize-legume intercropping in Central Kenya; Contributions of cowpea and fallow to soil fertility improvement in the guinea savannah of West Africa.

THEME 3: Limitations to access and adoption of innovations by poor farmers

Some facts about fertilizer use in Africa: the case of smallholder and large scale farmers in Kenya; Farm input market system in Western Kenya: constraints, opportunities and policy implications; Gender differentials in adoption of soil fertility management technologies in Central Kenya; Enhancing Agricultural Production Potential through Nutrition and Good Health Practice: The Case of Suba District in Kenya; Linking policy, research, agribusiness and processing enterprise to develop Mungbean (Vigna radiata) production as export crop from Senegal River Valley; Prioritizing research efforts to increase on-farm income generation: the case of cassava-based farmers in peri-urban southern Cameroon; Policy framework for utilization and conservation of below-ground biodiversity in Kenya; Policy Issues Affecting Integrated Natural Resource Management and Utilization in Arid and Semi Arid Lands of Kenya; Stakeholder characterisation of the biophysical and socio-economic potential of the desert margins in Kenya; Community Soil Fertility Management in the Region of Gourma, Burkina Faso -West Africa; Understanding Cassava Yield Differences at Farm Level: Lessons for Research; Organic Matter Utilization And The Determinants Of Organic Manure Use By Farmers In The Guinea Savanna Zone Of Nigeria; Innovativeness Of Common Interest Groups In North Rift Kenya: A Case Of Trans Nzoia District; Economic analysis of improved potato technologies in Rwanda; Assessment of Occupational and Environmental Safety Concerns in Pesticide Use among Small-scale Farmers in Sagana, Central Highlands, Kenya; Variation in socio economic characteristics and natural resource management in communities with different potato market linkages in the highlands of southwestern Uganda; Crop Rotation Leguminous Crops as Soil Fertility Strategy in Pearl Millet Production Systems; Participatory variety selection of pulses under different soil and pest management practices in Kadoma District, Zimbabwe; Economic Returns Of The ‘Mbili’ Intercropping Compared To Conventional Systems In Western Kenya; Bio-Socio-Economic Factors Influencing Tree Production in South Eastern Drylands of Kenya; Economic Evaluation of the Contribution of Below Ground Biodiversity: Case Study of Biological Nitrogen Fixation by Rhizobia; Farmers’ Perceptions and its Influence on Uptake of Integrated Soil Nutrient Management Techniques: Evidence from western Kenya; Taking Soil Fertility Management Technologies to the Farmers’ Backyard: The Case of Farmer Field Schools in Western Kenya; Status And Trends Of Technological Changes Among Small Scale Farmers In Tanzania; The dilemma of using fertilizer to power the green revolution in Sub-Saharan Africa; Overcoming market constraint to pro-poor agricultural Growth in the Eastern of DR. Congo, South Kivu; Constraints in Chickpea Transportation in the Lake Zone of Tanzania

THEME 4: Innovation approaches and their scaling up/out in Africa

Micro-dosing as a pathway to Africa’s Green Revolution: Evidence from broad-scale on-farm trials; The Dryland Eco-Farm: a Potential Solution to the Main Constraints of Rain-Fed Agriculture in Africa’s Semi Arid Tropics; Effect of Zai soil and water conservation technique on water balance and the fate of nitrate from organic amendments applied: A case of degraded crusted soils in Niger; Counting eggs? Smallholder experiments and try-outs as success indicators of adoption of soil fertility technologies; Improving smallholder farmers’ access to information for enhanced decision making in natural resource management: Experiences from South Western Uganda; Market Access: Components, Interactions and Implications in Smallholder Agriculture In The Former Homeland Area Of South Africa; Improving African Agricultural Market and Rural Livelihood through Warrantage: Case Study of Jigawa State, Nigeria; The Desert Margins Programme Approaches in Upscaling Best-Bet Technologies in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands in Kenya; Soil organic inputs and water conservation practices are the keys of the sustainable farming systems in the sub-sahelian zone of Burkina Faso; Intercropping Grain Amaranth (Amaranthus Dubius) With Soybean (G. Max) For Sustainability And Improved Livelihoods In Western Kenya; Soil conservation in Nigeria: Assessment of past and present initiatives; Effect of farmer management strategies on spatial variability of soil fertility and crop nutrient uptake in contrasting agro-ecological zones in Zimbabwe; Empowering Farmers in Monitoring and Evaluation for Improved Livelihood: Case Study of Soil and Water Management in Central Kenya; Effectiveness Of “Prep-Pac” Soil Fertility Replenishment Product On Performance Of The Diversified Maize-Legume Intercrops In Western Kenya; Risk Preference And Optimal Crop Combinations For Small Holder Farmers In Umbumbulu District, South Africa: An Application Of Stochastic Linear Programming; Scaling Out Integrated Soil Nutrient and Water Management Technologies through Farmer Participatory Research: Experiences from Semi-Arid Central Zimbabwe; Reducing the Risk of Crop Failure for Smallholder Farmers in Africa through the Adoption of Conservation Agriculture; Dissemination Of Integrated Soil Fertility Management Technologies Using Participatory Approaches In The Central Highlands Of Kenya; Adoption Of Improved Varieties Of Maize And Cassava In Kilosa And Muheza Districts, Eastern Tanzania; The role of forest resources in the strategies of rural communities coping with the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub Sahara Africa; Farmer managed natural regeneration in Niger: A key to environmental stability, agricultural intensification and diversification; Achieving a Green Revolution in Southern Africa: Role of Soil and Water Conservation in Enhancing Agricultural Productivity and Livelihoods in Semi-Arid Areas of Malawi; Managing Soil and Water through Community Tree Establishment and Management: A Case of Agabu and Kandota Villages in Ntcheu District, Malawi; Adoption and up scaling of water harvesting technologies among small scale farmers in Northern Kenya; Social and Economic Factors for the Adoption of Agroforesry Practices in Lake Victoria Catchment, Magu, Tanzania

Blurb

Africa urgently needs a uniquely African Green Revolution- a revolution that is long overdue, a revolution that will help the continent in its quest for dignity and peace

 

Mr. Kofi Annan,

Former Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), currently the Board Chair of Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)

 

Research work on soil in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has generated numerous outputs but very few have been translated into adoption to improve the livelihoods of the smallholder farmers. This is the greatest challenge Africa needs to address in order to achieve the highly sought after green revolution

 

Andre Bationo

Soil Health Specialist, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Accra, Ghana

 

 

An African Green Revolution can apply the power of knowledge and technology with an environmental touch: disseminating many crop varieties that will thrive in diverse conditions; improving soil health through integrated soil fertility management; and developing technologies that maximize the use of rainwater, deliver small-scale irrigation and mitigate against impacts of unfavourable and changing climatic conditions.