Soil Fertility Key Part of Profitable Production

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Ray Hoyum of Advantage International (left) and Steven Humphreys of IFDC discuss fertility programs in sub-Saharan Africa at the FCI Trade Summit in Dar es Salaam.

Increased application of crop inputs by farmers in sub-Saharan Africa may have failed to yield desired results because practitioners have failed to address the challenges of soil testing and lack of research and extension services.

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Comprehensive agronomic planning was a key theme of the FCI Trade Summit – Africa, which took place 13-14 May in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Dr. Raymond Hoyum, president of Advantage International, said producers, suppliers and state agencies should have the big picture in mind whenever implementing strategies to improve food security.

High yields, high profits and food security are a result of good soil-health management systems in conjunction with other crop production initiatives, and incremental progress in these initiative can help smallholder farmers build better businesses and more nutrient-secure communities.

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Good soil management is the common denominator for all successful producers whether in developing or developed economies, he told about 150 attendees of the Summit.

Farmers who invest in farm yields reap up to 67% of their investment while those who invest in cost reduction and marketing reap up to 21% and 12% respectively from their investment.

“Fertile soils are not always productive soils, but productive soils are always fertile,” he said.

Although there is always a tendency to increase fertilizer and chemical application in regions where the topsoil has been compacted or washed away by erosion, the challenge for farmers in such countries is enormous and could involve embracing better cropping systems until the soil recovers. Such practices include conservation tillage and cover crops to improve organic composition.

Counterintuitively, he said the introduction of fertilizer or farm input subsidies may not yield the desired results because subsidy providers have not given much attention of soil testing procedures and utilizing its results and also in research and extension infrastructure. Also nitrogen is often prioritized in subsidy programs, which could lead to acid soils that produce poorly.

“It is important to balance between the subsidies and strengthening soil testing, research and extension,” he said.

“To achieve profitable crops we must pay attention to the basics such as good soil health,” he said, adding that “building crop production basics will support substantial crop production systems, which in turn provide pathway for global food security.”

The International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC) regional agribusiness advisor for East and Southern Africa Steven Humphreys said the use of right agrichemicals and fertilisers should be combined with practices such as crop rotation and mechanization for better and sustainable yields.

He told the Trade Summit participants that increased demand for better production creates opportunities for farm input manufacturers and suppliers, hence the need for close collaboration by all stakeholders in the supply value chain.

The African market is currently grappling with challenges such as lack of organized marketing systems, increasing cartels and middlemen who shun the formal supply chain, higher labor costs and land rights uncertainties. He, however, said production technology for small scale producers is important in increasing production and demand for farm inputs.

Currently IFDC is pushing for increasing productivity and incomes through its 2SCALE project which is being implemented in twelve African countries. The project, which is funded by Dutch’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and private sector enterprises from 2012 to 2017, has a goal of reaching 1.15 million farming families and increase productivity by 100% and net incomes by 30%.

IFDC says 2SCALE develops agribusiness clusters and ensures that they engage in profitable markets.

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