Fertilizer use in semiarid West Africa: Profitability and supporting policy

In semiarid West Africa, inorganic fertilizer use and sustainability objectives are complementary. With increasing population pressure and low levels of purchased inputs, crop yields in many regions are declining. Moderate use of inorganic fertilizer is required for increasing yields in a sustainabl...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Shapiro, Barry I., Sanders, J.H.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Elsevier 1998
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/28100
Descripción
Sumario:In semiarid West Africa, inorganic fertilizer use and sustainability objectives are complementary. With increasing population pressure and low levels of purchased inputs, crop yields in many regions are declining. Moderate use of inorganic fertilizer is required for increasing yields in a sustainable way. Where infiltration is a problem, a water-retention technique reduces the risk and increases the returns from fertilization. In the sandy dune soils, fertilization and higher densities are sufficient to raise farm incomes at acceptable risk levels.