Sustainable intensification of agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa: first things first

doi:10.15302/J-FASE-2020351

Front. Agr. Sci. Eng.

2020, Vol. 7

Issue (4) : 376-382 https://doi.org/10.15302/J-FASE-2020351

PERSPECTIVE

Sustainable intensification of agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa: first things first

Bernard VANLAUWE¹(

), Achim DOBERMANN²

¹. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Nairobi, 00100 Nairobi, Kenya
². International Fertilizer Association, 75116 Paris, France

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Corresponding Author(s): Bernard VANLAUWE

Online First Date: 20 July 2020 Issue Date: 06 November 2020

Cite this article:

Bernard VANLAUWE,Achim DOBERMANN. Sustainable intensification of agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa: first things first[J]. Front. Agr. Sci. Eng. , 2020, 7(4): 376-382.

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https://academic.hep.com.cn/fase/EN/10.15302/J-FASE-2020351
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fase/EN/Y2020/V7/I4/376

Fig.1 Conceptual pathways from a current situation (degraded soil with low productivity) to a SI situation (healthy soil and high productivity) with various popular intensification paradigms included based on their estimated position along specific pathways^[¹⁰^]. Tailored or site-specific fertilizer recommendations are a key component of integrated soil fertility mgt (management). Alley cropping could be hosted under evergreen agriculture.

Fig.2 Conceptual depiction of integrated soil fertility management (ISFM), aiming at maximizing the agronomic efficiency of applied inputs through the proper deployment of improved cultivars, fertilizer and organic inputs, adapted to local conditions (adapted from Vanlauwe et al.^[¹³^]) (left part) and conceptual progression toward natural resource integrity, starting with improved productivity on a single farm (right part).

Fig.3 Average rates of fertilizer-nutrient application to cropland in Africa for Sub-Saharan Africa, excluding South Africa, noting that 2022 figures are projected figures. Source: Patrick Heffer, International Fertilizer Association (IFA) 2019; calculation using IFA fertilizer consumption and fertilizer use by crops statistics and FAO cropland statistics.

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