Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Box 2. INMASP and NUTSAL
In Africa, soil fertility decline is considered to be one of the principal causes of food
insecurity and environmental degradation. Building on the vast knowledge and fundamental
insights generated by science, the integrated nutrient management project (INMASP) and
the nutrient monitoring and management strategies project (NUTSAL) aimed at
operationalizing improved soil fertility and water management strategies.
A participatory approach was used, including 310 farm households in 11 Farmer Field
Schools (FFS) in East Africa, to diagnose and analyse current farm and nutrient
management strategies, formulate improved strategies and train extension workers and
farmers in applying these new strategies.
The success of this methodology is that it brings all the stakeholders together in a
learning process that leads to effective decision-making and action. The approach proved
to bridge the gap between research and extension in addition to building community capital
and stimulating the improvement of gender relations and good governance at local level.
Current soil fertility management practices in the farming systems in the semi-arid
areas in Kenya result in slightly negative nutrient balances. The losses, however, represent
only a very small proportion of the total soil nutrient stocks, especially for phosphorus and
potassium.
Nutrient flows into and out of the farm are generally low, but considerable variability
exists among the studied research clusters. Use of mineral fertilizers and import of organic
materials (animal feeds) correlated positively and significantly with crop yields, financial
returns and degree of market-orientation (marketed proportion of crop products and
distance to market) of the farms. This indicates that due to the relatively high price of
fertilizers and the high risks of crop failure in these rainfed systems, use of mineral
fertilizers is restricted to the market-oriented farms with access to irrigation facilities.
In the North-South programme, special attention was paid to the role of poor soil
fertility as a limiting factor in food production. A decline in soil fertility, related to
an imbalance between removal of nutrients and replenishment, is a creeping disaster
that undermines the production capacity of the land.
Starting from the mere observation that soil fertility is declining by, e.g., Penning
de Vries and Djitèye (1982), Stoorvogel and Smaling (1990), Smaling et al. (1992)
and others, soil fertility studies in Africa have evolved to integrated nutrient man-
agement strategies, rooted in participatory farm research without becoming detached
from higher-scale economic drivers (Koning et al. 2001; Breman 2002). Indeed
causes of soil degradation are complex, scale- and location-specific and, so are
possible solutions (Koning and Smaling 2005; De Jager et al. 2005). Key findings of
the studies were (i) combinations of fertilizers, manure and crop residues are needed
to maintain soil fertility and support stable crop production levels and (ii) responses
by farmers are crucial in maintaining and regaining soil fertility (Box 2).
Another focus of the North-South programme has been on combating soil
erosion. Loss of topsoil via erosion reduces the productivity of the land and the
resulting silt and nutrient loads impact on lake and river systems. Erosion is a
serious problem in the loess regions of China, representing a serious obstacle to
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