Fertilizer Use in African Agriculture: Lessons Learned and Good Practice Guidelines

The limited use of fertilizer by farmers in Africa stands in contrast to the much more extensive use of fertilizer by farmers in other developing regions. This contrast has stimulated considerable discussion about what should be the role of fertilizer in helping countries of Africa achieve their agricultural development goals, and what types of policies and programs can help realize the potential benefits of fertilizer in African agriculture.

'Fertilizer Use in African Agriculture' summarizes the findings of a major study undertaken by the World Bank to identify promising policy options for promoting increased fertilizer use in Africa, with the ultimate goal of boosting agricultural productivity in smallholder farming systems and reducing poverty. The book summarizes lessons learned from past efforts to promote fertilizer in Africa, provides an overview of the current state of knowledge about technical aspects of fertilizer use in Africa, and presents good practice guidelines for promoting sustainable increases in fertilizer use. The good practice guidelines—which form the basis of an interactive policymaker's tool kit included on a CD accompanying the book—relate not only to the more focused problem of encouraging increased fertilizer use by farmers, but also to the broader challenge of creating the type of enabling environment that is needed to support the emergence of efficient, dynamic, and commercially viable fertilizer marketing systems.

Fertilizer use in Africa as compared to other developing regions has been limited. What types of policies and programs are needed to realize the potential benefits of fertilizer in African agriculture? This book summarizes key lessons learned from past efforts to promote fertilizer in Africa, provides an overview of the current state of knowledge concerning technical aspects of fertilizer use in Africa, and presents good practice guidelines for promoting sustainable increases in fertilizer use.