Farm- and community-level factors underlying the profitability of fertiliser usage for Ethiopian smallholder farmers
While adoption rates for inorganic fertiliser are relatively high in Ethiopia, application rates are generally considered agronomically suboptimal. Using recent data on Ethiopian smallholder maize producers, we showed that maize response to nitrogen, and the profitability of fertiliser use depended...
| Autores principales: | , , , |
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| Formato: | Journal Article |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
Taylor and Francis
2021
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/171459 |
| _version_ | 1855543619262349312 |
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| author | Assefa, B. T. Reidsma, P. Chamberlin, Jordan van Ittersum, M. K. |
| author_browse | Assefa, B. T. Chamberlin, Jordan Reidsma, P. van Ittersum, M. K. |
| author_facet | Assefa, B. T. Reidsma, P. Chamberlin, Jordan van Ittersum, M. K. |
| author_sort | Assefa, B. T. |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | While adoption rates for inorganic fertiliser are relatively high in Ethiopia, application rates are generally considered agronomically suboptimal. Using recent data on Ethiopian smallholder maize producers, we showed that maize response to nitrogen, and the profitability of fertiliser use depended on maize agronomy. The agronomic optimum ranged from 0 to 344 kg/ha with a mean value of 209 kg/ha. The actual nitrogen application rates were only about half the agronomic optimum, on average, and were less than the farm-specific economic optimum on 80% of maize fields. The average economic optimum level was 145 kg N/ha, but when we account for risk aversion, the resulting average optimum level is very close to the average observed usage level of 88 kg N/ha. Addressing risk aversion may help to induce greater levels of fertiliser investments at current prices and yield response rates. Our analysis also suggests that key pathways for increasing the economic returns to smallholder fertiliser investments include: complementing nitrogen inputs with phosphorus inputs and improved varieties, using lower levels of nitrogen under intercropping and manure inputs, enabling farmers to delay output sales beyond the immediate post-harvest period, and lowering the costs of accessing input and output markets. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace171459 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publishDateRange | 2021 |
| publishDateSort | 2021 |
| publisher | Taylor and Francis |
| publisherStr | Taylor and Francis |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1714592025-02-19T14:36:43Z Farm- and community-level factors underlying the profitability of fertiliser usage for Ethiopian smallholder farmers Assefa, B. T. Reidsma, P. Chamberlin, Jordan van Ittersum, M. K. farmers smallholders farms fertilizers profitability maize intensification nitrogen fertilizers production technology intensive farming While adoption rates for inorganic fertiliser are relatively high in Ethiopia, application rates are generally considered agronomically suboptimal. Using recent data on Ethiopian smallholder maize producers, we showed that maize response to nitrogen, and the profitability of fertiliser use depended on maize agronomy. The agronomic optimum ranged from 0 to 344 kg/ha with a mean value of 209 kg/ha. The actual nitrogen application rates were only about half the agronomic optimum, on average, and were less than the farm-specific economic optimum on 80% of maize fields. The average economic optimum level was 145 kg N/ha, but when we account for risk aversion, the resulting average optimum level is very close to the average observed usage level of 88 kg N/ha. Addressing risk aversion may help to induce greater levels of fertiliser investments at current prices and yield response rates. Our analysis also suggests that key pathways for increasing the economic returns to smallholder fertiliser investments include: complementing nitrogen inputs with phosphorus inputs and improved varieties, using lower levels of nitrogen under intercropping and manure inputs, enabling farmers to delay output sales beyond the immediate post-harvest period, and lowering the costs of accessing input and output markets. 2021-10-02 2025-01-29T12:58:12Z 2025-01-29T12:58:12Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/171459 en Open Access Taylor and Francis Assefa, B. T.; Reidsma, P.; Chamberlin, Jordan; and van Ittersum, M. K. 2021. Farm- and community-level factors underlying the profitability of fertiliser usage for Ethiopian smallholder farmers. Agrekon 60(4): 460-479. https://doi.org/10.1080/03031853.2021.1984958 |
| spellingShingle | farmers smallholders farms fertilizers profitability maize intensification nitrogen fertilizers production technology intensive farming Assefa, B. T. Reidsma, P. Chamberlin, Jordan van Ittersum, M. K. Farm- and community-level factors underlying the profitability of fertiliser usage for Ethiopian smallholder farmers |
| title | Farm- and community-level factors underlying the profitability of fertiliser usage for Ethiopian smallholder farmers |
| title_full | Farm- and community-level factors underlying the profitability of fertiliser usage for Ethiopian smallholder farmers |
| title_fullStr | Farm- and community-level factors underlying the profitability of fertiliser usage for Ethiopian smallholder farmers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Farm- and community-level factors underlying the profitability of fertiliser usage for Ethiopian smallholder farmers |
| title_short | Farm- and community-level factors underlying the profitability of fertiliser usage for Ethiopian smallholder farmers |
| title_sort | farm and community level factors underlying the profitability of fertiliser usage for ethiopian smallholder farmers |
| topic | farmers smallholders farms fertilizers profitability maize intensification nitrogen fertilizers production technology intensive farming |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/171459 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT assefabt farmandcommunitylevelfactorsunderlyingtheprofitabilityoffertiliserusageforethiopiansmallholderfarmers AT reidsmap farmandcommunitylevelfactorsunderlyingtheprofitabilityoffertiliserusageforethiopiansmallholderfarmers AT chamberlinjordan farmandcommunitylevelfactorsunderlyingtheprofitabilityoffertiliserusageforethiopiansmallholderfarmers AT vanittersummk farmandcommunitylevelfactorsunderlyingtheprofitabilityoffertiliserusageforethiopiansmallholderfarmers |