Lagos, Nigeria
February 27, 2009
by the Nigeria correspondent of
Africa Science
News Service
Maize farmers across three countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)
are to benefit from better harvests and richer soils by adopting
easy-to-use soil-fertility techniques based on research findings
from the International Institute
of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).
Scientists identified better crop varieties, validated
crop-rotation techniques, devised soil fertility technologies
and set up cooperation approaches with national research and
extension organizations.
According to Dr. Robert Abaidoo, soil microbiologist at IITA,
Ibadan , Nigeria, ”these long-term soil studies advanced our
understanding of the ways in which disadvantaged farmers in
maize regions can overcome soil fertility decline and increase
farm income.”
Working in perennially nutrient-poor African soils, IITA
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 expanded 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).
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.
In addition, technical expertise was provided by Katholieke
Universiteit Leuven of Belgium (KULeuven), partnering throughout
20 years of research into African soil preservation.
According to IITA scientists, 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”, Dr. Jan Diels, former IITA
project leader, now professor at KULeuven told Africa Science
News Service.
“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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