Abstract
Manure has been used as a fertilizer since ancient times and if well-managed it can be an asset, promoting sustainable agriculture, and increasing crop production, particularly for smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, most farmers in SSA do not apply recommended manure management practices, such as roofing animal housing, having a water-proof floor or covering manure during storage, causing large nutrient losses during manure storage, increasing greenhouse gas emissions, and reducing the quality of the manure as a fertilizer. This paper compares manure management practices in representative SSA countries, and summarizes government policies and socio-cultural practices that influence the adoption of good (recommended) manure management practices. Three steps were applied in this analysis: (i) review of manure management practices from various literature sources, (ii) interviews on manure management practices and policies with key stakeholders from 13 SSA countries, and (iii) surveys of manure management practices on small, medium, and large scale farms in Ethiopia and Malawi. The review confirms the potential of manure to improve crop yields and promote sustainable agriculture in SSA. Unfortunately, most SSA countries (a) do not explicitly mention manure management in their policies (b) have different ministries that share responsibilities on manure management, often leading to incoherent policies and abnegation of these responsibilities (c) take limited action to promote good practices or enforce legislation on manure management. Also, the field survey indicated that farmers lack knowledge on manure management. However, farmers are able to access agricultural extension services from both government and non-government agencies, although these extension services rarely included information on improved manure management practices. Extension services that encourage exchange and interaction between farmers were most successful in increasing adoption of good manure management practices, and are recommended. In addition, efforts to improve manure management in SSA should strengthen the enforcement of existing policies and provide an enabling environment for adoption of good manure management practices.
Highlights
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has the highest prevalence of undernourishment and the highest rise in proportion of people who are food insecure (FAO et al, 2017), with soil nitrogen (N) availability singled out as a major constraint to crop production in many areas of SSA (Liu et al, 2010)
The use of manure as a fertilizer is generally beneficial to the soil and can improve crop yield
Different strategies for manure management could lead to increased preservation of nutrients in manure, enhancing its use as a fertilizer
Summary
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has the highest prevalence of undernourishment and the highest rise in proportion of people who are food insecure (FAO et al, 2017), with soil nitrogen (N) availability singled out as a major constraint to crop production in many areas of SSA (Liu et al, 2010). Because of low (on average ≤8 kg N ha−1 yr−1) fertilizer application rates (Alexandratos and Bruinsma, 2012; AGRA, 2013), there is a higher N uptake by crops than the N input from fertilizer (Zhou et al, 2014). This mining of nutrients contributes to soil depletion which limits agricultural sustainability. A potential major nutrient source for smallholder farmers who cannot afford mineral fertilizers could be livestock manure (Tittonell et al, 2010). Various studies have been conducted in SSA showing the positive effects of manure application on crop yield (Table 1), effective use of livestock manure as a fertilizer depends critically on methods of manure handling and storage, and on synchronizing mineralization of manure N with crop uptake (Rufino et al, 2006)
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