P. (Peter) Ebanyat: “A road to food? Efficacy of nutrient management options targeted to heterogeneous soilscapes in the Teso farming system, Uganda’

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19 Oct 2009 13:30
Unit: Plant Production Systems Group
Location: Aula, building 362, Gen. Foulkesweg 1, Wageningen
Organisation: Wageningen University
Promotor: prof.dr. K. Giller (Plant Production Systems)
Co Promotor: Dr. N. de Ridder

 Food insecurity threatens a majority of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa. Food is produced from diverse, highly heterogeneous smallholder systems in transition to intensification. The Teso farming system in Uganda is an example of this. Here, population growth and political-instability-mediated collapse of marketing and land management institutions, communal labour arrangements and cattle rustling accounted for land use change, declining soil fertility and the low crop productivity. For this system, we explored how to improve crop production through targeting of nutrient management options to heterogeneity in soil fertility. The field scale was the relevant scale for targeting nutrient management interventions. Legumes, although recommended for smallholder systems only sufficed on good fertility fields and their production with fertiliser P was only economical if fertiliser 
price then was reduced by 30-40%. Targeting of interventions can afford specific attention to specific soil constraints thus avoiding wastage of resources. For the low input Teso system, use of mineral fertiliser is inevitable and its application to poor fields should be after improving soil fertility levels. Enabling policy framework to enhance public-private partnerships around profitable commodities while addressing broader livelihood needs are required to make targeting nutrient options to heterogeneity a road to sufficient food production.
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