Maize farmers across three countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are starting to benefit from better harvests and richer soils by adopting easy-to-use soil-fertility techniques, thus increasing prosperity and food security, based on research findings from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
Working in perennially nutrient-poor African soils, scientists discovered accessible and affordable ways to improve soil quality through systematic fertilization and crop rotation techniques – boosting nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous. The potential beneficiaries of exp anded crop yields are 130 million farmers living in moist savanna maize-growing areas of coastal and central SSA, where potential crop-loss recovery is projected at $200 million annually, based on FAO regional statistics (2004).
National partners in the six-year ‘Balanced Nutrient Management Systems’ (BNMS) project included agricultural research and extension organizations in three adjacent West African countries – Nigeria (IAR, SG2000), Benin (INRAB) and Togo (ITRA, ICAT). In addition, technical expertise was provided by Katholieke Universiteit Leuven of Belgium (KULeuven), partnering throughout 20 years of research into African soil preservation.
Scientists identified better crop varieties, validated crop-rotation techniques, devised soil fertility technologies and set up cooperation approaches with national research and extension organizations. Funding of $3.35 million for the BNMS project was provided by the Development Corporation of Belgium (DGDC) and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR, http://www.cgiar.org/).
According to Dr. Robert Abaidoo, soil microbiologist at IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria, ”These long-term soil studies advanced our underst anding of the ways in which disadvantaged farmers in maize regions can overcome soil fertility decline and increase farm income.”
The solution to higher maize (or corn) yields, research showed, lies in the proper mix of fertilizers and organic nutrients, including animal manure, crop residues and green manures. The project also proved multiple benefits from rotating maize with legume crops, including soybean and pigeonpea, both rich in nitrogen and protein.
“By combining applied research with extension work, the BNMS project showed the value of collaboration between researchers, partner organizations and farmers”, said Dr. Jan Diels, former IITA project leader, now professor at KULeuven. “By working together, the researchers were able to take practical problems into account, thus developing technology options that could be rapidly adopted by farmers in areas where we worked.”
According to CGIAR HarvestPlus data, maize represents the most popular staple food in SSA. Maize cultivation in West and Central Africa is shown by FAO to have increased in yield from 3.2 million ha in 1961 to 8.9 million ha in 2005. Actual yields per hectare, however, have been declining in recent years, with soil exhaustion cited as a significant factor.
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