FERTILIZERS TO SUPPORT AGRICULTURAL-DEVELOPMENT IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA- WHAT IS NEEDED AND WHY

Substantial growth in inorganic fertilizer use is a prerequisite for s ustained agricultural growth in sub-Saharan Africa, Increased fertiliz er use can lead to modest but immediate and important increases in yie lds, while the profitability of other technologies will be stifled wit hout adequate plant nutrients, Average fertilizer application rates in sub-Saharan Africa need to increase from 10 kg/ha to 50 kg/ha within 10 years to prevent mining of soil nutrients, That implies an 18% annu al growth rate, This is substantially higher than trends in the region , but within a reasonable range of historically observed levels from o ther parts of the world, While over-use of fertilizers can create envi ronmental problems, this is not a widespread problem in sub-Saharan Af rica, and should not become one as a result of applying 50 kg/ha of in organic fertilizers, Rather, near-term environmental concerns in agric ulture in sub-Saharan Africa will stem from the lack of intensificatio n, Farmer demand for fertilizers and the physical capacity to make fer tilizers available are the two key issues that determine whether a 50- kg/ha goal will be attained, However, demand-side incentives cannot be separated from fertilizer supply possibilities, Several studies docum ent that the simple physical availability of fertilizers to farmers, i n the appropriate quantity, packages and at the appropriate time of ye ar, remains a main constraint on increased fertilizer use in sub-Sahar an Africa. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd