Managing nutrient cycles to sustain soil fertility in Sub-Saharan Africa

This book provides a synthesis of topical issues relating to sustaining soil fertility in Sub-Saharan Africa. The book is composed of three sections. The first section deals with the issues of integrated soil fertility management; the second discusses biodiversity; and the third section focuses on participatory research and scaling up of soil fertility restoration technologies.

Chapters within the integrated soil and fertility management cover the topics:

• guidelines for integration of legumes into the farming systems of East African highlands
• effect of organic and inorganic nutrient sources on soil mineral nitrogen and maize yields in western Kenya
• long term effects of mineral fertilisers, phosphate rock, dolomite and manure on the characteristics of an ultisol and maize yield in Burkina Faso
• managing manures throughout their production cycle enhances their usefulness as fertilisers
• effect of cattle manure and nitrogen fertiliser on nitrate leaching losses in smallholder maize production systems of Zimbabwe measured in field lysimeters.

Chapters of the biodiversity section include:

• assessment of biomass transfer from Green Manure to Soil Macrofauna in Agroecosystem - Soil Macrofauna Biomass
• soil invertebrate macrofauna composition within agroforestry and forested ecosystems and their role in litter decomposition in Embu, Kenya
• selection of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi for inoculating maize and sorghum grown in oxisol/ultisol and vertisol in Cameroon
• macrofaunal abundance and diversity in selected farmer perceived soil fertility niches in western Kenya

Chapters dealing with participatory research and scaling up include:

• linking research results with rural development projects: experiences from southern Africa
• economic analysis of non-conventional fertilizers in Vihiga District, western Kenya
• early farmer evaluation of integrated nutrient management technologies in eastern Uganda
• potential for adoption of legume green manure on smallholder farms in western Kenya
• the profitability of manure use on maize in the small-holder sector of Zimbabwe
• improved food production by use of soil fertility amendment strategies in the central highlands of Kenya.

[adapted from author]