Restoring Crop Productivity in West Africa

Restoring Crop Productivity in West Africa PDF Author: Bernard Philibert Agbo
Publisher:
ISBN: 9783823613152
Category : Agricultural productivity
Languages : en
Pages : 139

Get Book Here

Book Description

Restoring Crop Productivity in West Africa

Restoring Crop Productivity in West Africa PDF Author: Bernard Philibert Agbo
Publisher:
ISBN: 9783823613152
Category : Agricultural productivity
Languages : en
Pages : 139

Get Book Here

Book Description


Restoring and Maintaining the Productivity of West African Soils

Restoring and Maintaining the Productivity of West African Soils PDF Author: A. Uzo Mokwunye
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 112

Get Book Here

Book Description
Problem definition; Diagnosis: Ferming systems in west African; Nutrient stocks and flows in west african soils; Economic policies and fertilizer market development; Institutions and support services; technologies for restoring soil fertility; Turning the tide.

An Updated Look at the Recovery of Agricultural Productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa

An Updated Look at the Recovery of Agricultural Productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa PDF Author: Alejandro Nin Pratt and Bingxin Yu
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 72

Get Book Here

Book Description


Alleviating Soil Fertility Constraints to Increased Crop Production in West Africa

Alleviating Soil Fertility Constraints to Increased Crop Production in West Africa PDF Author: A. Uzo Mokwunye
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9401132240
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 244

Get Book Here

Book Description
Tropical Africa escaped from the glaciers that covered the temperate parts of the world during the Ice Age. The legacy is that most of the parent materials of the soils of tropical Africa are old, highly weathered and devoid of bases and phosphate-bearing minerals. Traditional farming systems which were relatively stable and sustainable relied on long fallow periods after one to two years of cropping to maintain the productive capacity of the soils. In recent times and especially in densely populated areas, a sizeable class of 'landless' farmers have begun to cultivate marginal lands or to invade the 'forest reserves' thereby exacerbating the problems of land and environ mental degradation. of soil fertility that will facilitate the production of adequate quantities of the principle Maintaining a level staples has become a major challenge to agricultural scientists in tropical Africa. To increase the nutrient supplying power of soils requires the inputs of fertilizers. These can be organic or inorganic. The efficiency with which these externally supplied inputs can increase agricultural production and reduce soil and environmental deterioration is dependent on the ability of scientists to determine the right types and quantities of the products to apply to each soil, crop and cropping system as well as the ability of farmers to acquire requisite farm manage ment skills.

Cover Crops in West Africa

Cover Crops in West Africa PDF Author: International Development Research Centre (Canada)
Publisher: IDRC
ISBN: 088936852X
Category : Cover crops
Languages : en
Pages : 319

Get Book Here

Book Description
Cover Crops in West Africa Contributing to Sustainable Agriculture

Indigenous Agricultural Revolution

Indigenous Agricultural Revolution PDF Author: Paul Richards
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000865169
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 171

Get Book Here

Book Description
Originally published in 1985, this book argues forcefully and practically for new relationship between science and the small farmer. It advocates scientific research seeking out changes which are already taking place within the smallholder farming sector and building on local initiatives. Drawing on his experience of West Africa, the author demonstrates that many of the most successful innovations in food-crop production during the 20th century have indigenous roots and that there should therefore be less emphasis on ‘teaching’ farmers how to farm and more emphasis on how to foster and support local adaptation and inventiveness. This book will be of interest to students of agriculture, environmental studies and rural development as well as those working with relief and development agencies.

The West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program

The West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program PDF Author: Stads, Gert-Jan
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 12

Get Book Here

Book Description
WAAPP supports the generation, dissemination, and adoption of improved technologies; the creation of enabling conditions for regional cooperation; and the development of human and institutional capacity across the subregion; along with the creation of youth employment, the participation of women, and adaption to climate change.

Innovation In African Agriculture

Innovation In African Agriculture PDF Author: Arthur J. Dommen
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 0429713509
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 121

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book looks at the input-output relations of low-resource agriculture in Africa and shows how the intensification process through the application of modern technologies can work successfully to raise productivity and to sustain production over the long term.

Lost Crops of Africa

Lost Crops of Africa PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309176891
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 405

Get Book Here

Book Description
Scenes of starvation have drawn the world's attention to Africa's agricultural and environmental crisis. Some observers question whether this continent can ever hope to feed its growing population. Yet there is an overlooked food resource in sub-Saharan Africa that has vast potential: native food plants. When experts were asked to nominate African food plants for inclusion in a new book, a list of 30 species grew quickly to hundreds. All in all, Africa has more than 2,000 native grains and fruitsâ€""lost" species due for rediscovery and exploitation. This volume focuses on native cereals, including: African rice, reserved until recently as a luxury food for religious rituals. Finger millet, neglected internationally although it is a staple for millions. Fonio (acha), probably the oldest African cereal and sometimes called "hungry rice." Pearl millet, a widely used grain that still holds great untapped potential. Sorghum, with prospects for making the twenty-first century the "century of sorghum." Tef, in many ways ideal but only now enjoying budding commercial production. Other cultivated and wild grains. This readable and engaging book dispels myths, often based on Western bias, about the nutritional value, flavor, and yield of these African grains. Designed as a tool for economic development, the volume is organized with increasing levels of detail to meet the needs of both lay and professional readers. The authors present the available information on where and how each grain is grown, harvested, and processed, and they list its benefits and limitations as a food source. The authors describe "next steps" for increasing the use of each grain, outline research needs, and address issues in building commercial production. Sidebars cover such interesting points as the potential use of gene mapping and other "high-tech" agricultural techniques on these grains. This fact-filled volume will be of great interest to agricultural experts, entrepreneurs, researchers, and individuals concerned about restoring food production, environmental health, and economic opportunity in sub-Saharan Africa. Selection, Newbridge Garden Book Club

Yield Gaps and Potential Agricultural Growth in West and Central Africa

Yield Gaps and Potential Agricultural Growth in West and Central Africa PDF Author: Nin-Pratt, Alejandro
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN: 0896291820
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 158

Get Book Here

Book Description
West and Central African nations face major obstacles to achieving the Millennium Development Goal of cutting poverty and hunger in half by 2015, not least among them the fragile state of their agriculture. Although most regional economies depend on agriculture for employment, national income, and export revenues, farm productivity tends to be low, owing to relatively little use of chemical fertilizers, improved seeds, and other modern technologies. Yield Gaps and Potential Agricultural Growth in West and Central Africa responds to this problem by identifying potential areas of growth in the agricultural and livestock sectors. Using data on the soil, water availability, and weather in different parts of West and Central Africa, the authors find significant gaps in different locations between the potential and actual yield of various agricultural products. They then use an economywide multimarket model to simulate the future economic effects of closing these yield gaps. In coastal nations, crops such as cassava, cereals, and yams have the greatest yield gaps, whereas, in the Sahel, livestock, rice, coarse grains and oilseeds (groundnuts) have more room for growth. Although identifying these yield gaps does not guarantee that they can be closed, it does provide a focus for development efforts in the region. The authors conclude, moreover, that if such efforts involve transnational cooperation in agricultural research, marketing, and other areas, they could produce significant benefits across West and Central Africa. This study's findings will be of interest to policymakers, researchers, and others concerned with African development.