Abstract
Microdosing of mineral fertilizer and conservation agriculture (CA) have been identified as promising approaches for sustainable agricultural intensification. Microdosing has been found to give a very good economic return for a small investment in fertilizer. Microdosing has created a demand for fertilizer in rural areas of Mali, and the local business community has responded by providing fertilizer in their shops. The agro-ecological advantages of microdosing are connected to adaption to climate change, highly efficient use of water, inhibition of the parasitic weed Striga hermonthica and earlier harvest. The possible problem that microdosing can lead to nutrient mining is exaggerated. The effect of CA on yield and soil properties is dependent on how it is practiced. Mulching has been identified as the key ecological component of CA, as it reduces soil surface temperature, improves water infiltration and helps control weeds. The major problem associated with mulching is the free roaming of animals in the dry season, which removes all the crop residues left on the soil surface. Grazing management must therefore go hand in hand with development of CA. It is concluded that microdosing and CA can be combined. Microdosing can give short-term benefits in terms of yield increase, while CA will build soil quality, which is of vital importance for the long-term sustainability of agricultural systems.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Amponsah E (2012) Farm households’ adoption of ecofarm integrated agricultural technologies and potential economic effects on livelihoods in Segou, Mopti and Koulikoro regions of Mali. MSc thesis, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 126 p
Aune JB, Bationo A (2008) Agricultural intensification in the Sahel – the ladder approach. Agric Syst 98:119–125
Aune JB, Ousman A (2011) Effect of seed priming and microdosing of fertilizers on sorghum and pearl millet in Western Sudan. Exp Agric 47:419–430
Aune JB, Bussa MT, Asfaw FG, Ayele AA (2001) The ox-ploughing system in Ethiopia: can it be sustained. Outlook Agric 30:275–280
Aune JB, Doumbia M, Berthe A (2007) Microfertilizing sorghum and pearl millet in Mali – agronomic, economic and social feasibility. Outlook Agric 36:199–203
Aune JB, Traore CO, Mamadou S (2012a) Low-cost technologies for improved productivity of dryland farming in Mali. Outlook Agric 41:103–108
Aune JB, Nyanga P, Johnsen FH (2012b) A monitoring and evaluation report of the Conservation Agriculture Project (CAP1) in Zambia. Noragric report no. 68, 34 p [Online]. Available from: http://alturl.com/5av3w. Accessed 10 Jan 2014
Bationo A, Buerkert A (2001) Soil organic carbon management for sustainable land use in Sudano-Sahelian West Africa. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 61:131–142
Buerkert A, Moser M, Kumar AK, Fürst P, Becker K (2001) Variation in grain quality of pearl millet from Sahelian West Africa. Field Crop Res 69:1–11
Carter J (1995) Alley farming: have resource-poor farmers benefited? Natural resource perspectives no. 3. The Overseas Development Institute, London [Online]. Available from: http://alturl.com/yiptd. Accessed 10 Jan 2014
Cooper P, Rao KC, Dimes J, Traore PS, Rao K, Dixit P, Twomlow SJ (2009) Farming with current and future climate risk: advancing a “hypothesis of hope” for rainfed agriculture in the semi-arid tropics. SAT e-journal 9 [Online]. Available from: http://ejournal.icrisat.org/Volume7/Agroecosystems/AES701.pdf. Accessed 10 Jan 2014
Coulibaly A, Aune JB, Sissoko P (2010) Establishment of food crops in the Sahelian and Sudano-Sahelian region in Mali. Dryland Coordination Group Report no. 60 [Online]. Available from: http://www.drylands-group.org/Articles/1933.html. Accessed 10 Jan 2014
Derpch R, Friedrich T (2009) Global overview of conservation agriculture adaptation. In: Lead papers. 4th World Congress on conservation agriculture, New Delhi, pp 429–438
FAO (2013) Conservation agriculture [Online]. Available from: http://www.fao.org/ag/ca/index.html. Accessed 10 Jan 2014
Fujisaka S (1994) Learning from six reasons why farmers do not adopt innovations intended to improve sustainability of upland agriculture. Agric Syst 46:409–425
Giller KE, Witter E, Corbeels M, Tittonell P (2009) Conservation agriculture and smallholder farming in Africa: the heretics’ view. Field Crop Res 114:23–34
Heerink H (2005) Soil fertility decline and economic policy reform in Sub-Saharan Africa. Land Use Policy 2:67–74
ICRISAT (2009) Fertilizer microdosing. Boosting production on unproductive lands [Online]. Available from: http://alturl.com/m2w75. Accessed 10 Jan 2014
Jamil M, van Mourik T, van Charnikhova T, Bouwmeester HJ (2012) Effect of diammonium phosphate application on strigolactone production and Striga hermonthica infection in three sorghum cultivars. Weed Res 53:121–130
Kamau G (2007) Researching with farmers. A study of KARI participatory research practices in context. PhD thesis, Wageningen University, 272 p [Online]. Available from: http://edepot.wur.nl/23841. Accessed 10 Jan 2014
Mazvimavi K, Twomlow S (2009) Socioeconomic and institutional factors influencing adoption of conservation farming by vulnerable households in Zimbabwe. Agric Syst 101:20–29
Montpellier Panel Report (2013) Sustainable intensification: a new paradigm for African agriculture. Imperial College, London [Online]. Available from: http://alturl.com/hxz4x. Assessed 9 Sept 2014
Muehlig-Versen B, Buerkert A, Bationo A, Roemheld V (2003) Phosphorous placement on acid arenosols of the West African Sahel. Exp Agric 39:307–325
Ngwira AR, Thierfelder C, Lambert DM (2013) Conservation agriculture systems for Malawian smallholder farmers: long-term effects on crop productivity, profitability and soil quality. Renew Agric Food Syst 28:350–363
Ngwira A, Johnsen FH, Aune JB, Mekuria M, Thierfelder C (2014) Adoption and extent of conservation agriculture practices among smallholder farmers in Malawi. J Soil Water Conserv 69:108–119
Place F, Dewees P (1999) Policies and incentives for the adoption of improved fallows. Agrofor Syst 47:323–343
Sawadogo H (2011) Using soil and water conservation techniques to rehabilitate degraded lands in northwestern Burkina Faso. Int J Agric Sustain 9:120–128
Umar BW, Aune JB, Johnsen FH, Lungu OI (2011) Options for improving smallholder conservation agriculture in Zambia. J Agric Sci 3:50–62
Umar BB, Aune JB, Johnsen FH, Lungo OI (2012) Are smallholder Zambian farmers economists? A dual-analysis of farmers’ expenditure in conservation and conventional agriculture systems. J Sustain Agric 36:908–929
Valluru R, Vadez V, Hash CT, Karanam P (2010) A minute P application contributes to a better establishment of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) seedling in P deficient soils. Soil Use Manag 26:36–43
Versteeg MN, Amidji F, Etaka A, Gogan A, Koudokpon V (1998) Farmers’ adoption of Mucuna fallowing and agroforestry technologies in the coastal savanna of Benin. Agric Syst 56:269–287
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Aune, J.B., Coulibaly, A. (2015). Microdosing of Mineral Fertilizer and Conservation Agriculture for Sustainable Agricultural Intensification in Sub-Saharan Africa. In: Lal, R., Singh, B., Mwaseba, D., Kraybill, D., Hansen, D., Eik, L. (eds) Sustainable Intensification to Advance Food Security and Enhance Climate Resilience in Africa. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09360-4_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09360-4_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-09359-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-09360-4
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)