An ex ante evaluation of targeted fertilizer recommendations for Ethiopian cereal producers

Agricultural extension systems in settings with variable landscape positions, such as foot slopes, midslopes and hill slopes often provide fertilizer use recommendations that do not take into account variability in landscape positions. While the limited consideration of landscape positions in agricu...

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Main Authors: Oyinbo, Oyakhilomen, Chamberlin, Jordan
Format: Informe técnico
Language:Inglés
Published: EiA 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/168798
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author Oyinbo, Oyakhilomen
Chamberlin, Jordan
author_browse Chamberlin, Jordan
Oyinbo, Oyakhilomen
author_facet Oyinbo, Oyakhilomen
Chamberlin, Jordan
author_sort Oyinbo, Oyakhilomen
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Agricultural extension systems in settings with variable landscape positions, such as foot slopes, midslopes and hill slopes often provide fertilizer use recommendations that do not take into account variability in landscape positions. While the limited consideration of landscape positions in agricultural extension programming may partly explain the low and variable agronomic and economic returns to fertilizer use, empirical evidence under farmer conditions is thin. In this report, we document preliminary findings from an ex ante evaluation of landscape-targeted fertilizer recommendations for sorghum, teff and wheat production in Ethiopia. We use data from a farm-household survey and on farm validation trials complemented with geospatial soil, rainfall, crop and fertilizer price data from secondary sources. Results show that yield response to and profitability of fertilizer is, on average, low and varies across landscape positions. In addition, fertilizer application appears marginally more profitable on foot slopes and mid-slopes compared with hill slopes, irrespective of the cereal type. Furthermore, fertilizer application under landscape-based fertilizer recommendations seems marginally more profitable compared with fertilizer application under farmer current fertilizer application and current extension fertilizer recommendations, indicating that landscape-targeted fertilizer advisories may contribute to improving returns to fertilizer. Overall, we note that substantially improving fertilizer use efficiency and investment returns would likely require a holistic approach, involving soil health and agronomic management, market and institutional considerations, beyond landscape-targeted fertilizer advisories
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spelling CGSpace1687982025-05-04T09:21:16Z An ex ante evaluation of targeted fertilizer recommendations for Ethiopian cereal producers Oyinbo, Oyakhilomen Chamberlin, Jordan fertilizers profitability landscape sorghum teff wheat cereals Agricultural extension systems in settings with variable landscape positions, such as foot slopes, midslopes and hill slopes often provide fertilizer use recommendations that do not take into account variability in landscape positions. While the limited consideration of landscape positions in agricultural extension programming may partly explain the low and variable agronomic and economic returns to fertilizer use, empirical evidence under farmer conditions is thin. In this report, we document preliminary findings from an ex ante evaluation of landscape-targeted fertilizer recommendations for sorghum, teff and wheat production in Ethiopia. We use data from a farm-household survey and on farm validation trials complemented with geospatial soil, rainfall, crop and fertilizer price data from secondary sources. Results show that yield response to and profitability of fertilizer is, on average, low and varies across landscape positions. In addition, fertilizer application appears marginally more profitable on foot slopes and mid-slopes compared with hill slopes, irrespective of the cereal type. Furthermore, fertilizer application under landscape-based fertilizer recommendations seems marginally more profitable compared with fertilizer application under farmer current fertilizer application and current extension fertilizer recommendations, indicating that landscape-targeted fertilizer advisories may contribute to improving returns to fertilizer. Overall, we note that substantially improving fertilizer use efficiency and investment returns would likely require a holistic approach, involving soil health and agronomic management, market and institutional considerations, beyond landscape-targeted fertilizer advisories 2024 2025-01-09T22:07:48Z 2025-01-09T22:07:48Z Report https://hdl.handle.net/10568/168798 en Open Access application/pdf EiA Oyinbo, O., & Chamberlin, J. (2024). An ex ante evaluation of targeted fertilizer recommendations for Ethiopian cereal producers. EIA. https://hdl.handle.net/10883/35307
spellingShingle fertilizers
profitability
landscape
sorghum
teff
wheat
cereals
Oyinbo, Oyakhilomen
Chamberlin, Jordan
An ex ante evaluation of targeted fertilizer recommendations for Ethiopian cereal producers
title An ex ante evaluation of targeted fertilizer recommendations for Ethiopian cereal producers
title_full An ex ante evaluation of targeted fertilizer recommendations for Ethiopian cereal producers
title_fullStr An ex ante evaluation of targeted fertilizer recommendations for Ethiopian cereal producers
title_full_unstemmed An ex ante evaluation of targeted fertilizer recommendations for Ethiopian cereal producers
title_short An ex ante evaluation of targeted fertilizer recommendations for Ethiopian cereal producers
title_sort ex ante evaluation of targeted fertilizer recommendations for ethiopian cereal producers
topic fertilizers
profitability
landscape
sorghum
teff
wheat
cereals
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/168798
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