background_literature

AFRICA RISING

Background information, literature and pointers

Towards a food secure world - Sustainable intensification at scale
Article from The Broker, January 2014

Tradeoffs
(Email sent by Suzanne Poland, 23 February 2012).

Manure used as fuel should be considered as a trade-off when talking about livestock in conjunction with impacts on the fertility of the soil. Should we track alternative sources of fuel (such as agroforestry woodlots) thus freeing up manure for use as a fertilizer may be one way of increasing productivity in an SI system.

The GoE's Policy and Investment Framework mentions the following paragraph in relation: "Ethiopian agriculture is dominated by a subsistance, low input-low output, rainfed farming system. The use of chemical fertiliser and improved seeds is quite limited despite Government efforts to encourage the adoption of modern, intensive agricultural practices. Low agricultural productivity can be attributed to limited access by smallholder farmers to agricultural inputs, financial services, improved production technologies, irrigation and agricultural markets; and more importantly to poor land management practices, that have led to severe land degradation. Ethiopia has one of the highest rates of soil nutrient depletion in Sub-Saharan Africa. Estimates suggest that the annual phosphorus and nitrogen loss nationwide from the use of dung for fuel is equivalent to the total amount of commercial fertiliser applied. Land degradation is further exacerbated by overgrazing, deforestation, population pressure and inadequate land use planning".