Evaluating sustainable and profitable cropping sequences with cassava and four legume crops: Effects on soil fertility and maize yields in the forest/savannah transitional agro-ecological zone of Ghana

Adjei-Nsiah, S.; Kuyper, Th.W.; Leeuwis, C.; Abekoe, M.K.; Giller, Ken E.

doi:10.1016/j.fcr.2007.05.001

Cited by 70 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…While the average soil characteristics were similar in all three fields, the cultivation history was quite different: during the three preceding years, maize and soybean had been grown in field 1. In field 2, cassava, which has been shown to improve soil fertility (Adjei-Nsiah et al 2007) was intercropped with cowpea, which has been reported to increase yield of the following maize (Jemo et al 2006), whereas in field 3, maize and grasses had been cropped. In addition (and probably partly due to these different cropping histories), the infestation with the parasitic weed Striga hermonthica, which plays a key role in maize growth and health, also varied a lot between the three different fields and this factor might well explain the differences observed in maize growth and yield in the three fields.…”

Section: Field Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

White lupin leads to increased maize yield through a soil fertility-independent mechanism: a new candidate for fighting Striga hermonthica infestation?

et al. 2008

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Nitrogen (N)-deficiency and lack of phosphorus (P) availability are major constraints to maize yields in Western Kenya. In a two-season field study in the lake Victoria basin, we tested the capacity of white lupin (Lupinus albus (L.), cv. Ultra), as a nitrogenfixing crop with a highly efficient P-acquisition capacity, to increase maize yields when used as a companion or cover crop, or as a source of organic matter. Each experiment was performed on three different fields (Vertisols) differing in N/P availability, previous cropping history and in levels of infestation by the parasitic weed Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth. Our results show that white lupin led to significantly higher yields of maize when used as a cover crop. When lupin was grown as a companion crop, it also slightly enhanced the yield of the co-cultivated maize. When lupin shoots were incorporated to the soil, the positive effect of lupin on maize growth was field-dependent and only occurred in the field most heavily infested with S. hermonthica. Despite the beneficial impact on maize yield, no clear effect of lupin on soil N and P availability or on maize N/P uptake were observed. In contrast, lupin significantly inhibited infestation of maize by S. hermonthica: when lupin was grown together with maize in pots inoculated with S. hermonthica, the emergence of the weed was strongly reduced compared to the pots with maize only. This work opens a new range of questions for further research on white lupin and its potential beneficial impact as a S. hermonthica-inhibiting crop.

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Section: Field Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

White lupin leads to increased maize yield through a soil fertility-independent mechanism: a new candidate for fighting Striga hermonthica infestation?

et al. 2008

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“…During the first year of experimentation, positive effects of rotations with mucuna, pigeonpea, and cassava became evident (Adjei-Nsiah et al 2007b). However, most of the migrants argued that the prevailing land tenure arrangements in the community would not allow them to apply these practices to improve the productivity of their land.…”

Section: Results In Stage 1: the Failure To Sustain A Constructive DImentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, the alternative arrangement seems to offer opportunities especially for poorer landless farmers who cannot afford advance rent payment to access land for farming. Although the arrangement may have positive implications in terms of soil fertility maintenance (i.e., it may allow the use of more favorable cropping systems from a soil fertility point of view, see Adjei-Nsiah et al 2007b), it is unlikely that the wealthier Walas (i.e., the migrant category that is held most responsible for soil mining by the natives) will voluntarily work with the alternative arrangement on a large scale. In sum, the evaluation of the alternative arrangement in comparison with other arrangements such as sharecropping and land rental indicates that farmers from different ethnic groups have different preferences, depending mainly on their financial position and the quality of their relationships with the native landlords.…”

Section: Analysis and Discussion Of Findings In Stagementioning

confidence: 99%

Action research on alternative land tenure arrangements in Wenchi, Ghana: learning from ambiguous social dynamics and self-organized institutional innovation

2008

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This study reports on action research efforts that were aimed at developing institutional arrangements beneficial for soil fertility improvement. Three stages of action research are described and analyzed. We initially began by bringing stakeholders together in a platform to engage in a collaborative design of new arrangements. However, this effort was stymied mainly because conditions conducive for learning and negotiation were lacking. We then proceeded to support experimentation with alternative arrangements initiated by individual landowners and migrant farmers. The implementation of these arrangements too ran into difficulties due to intra-family dynamics and ambiguities regarding land tenure. Further investigations to find out how ambiguities could be tackled revealed that the local actors themselves had taken initiatives towards developing institutional innovations to reduce ambiguities. However, there is still considerable scope for further development of these self-organized innovations. The article ends with a reflection on inter-disciplinary action research, where it is argued that making ''mistakes'' is an inherent and necessary characteristic in action research that aims to address complex social issues.

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“…The occurrence of relatively poor soils and low rainfall distribution in the northern part compared to the south is another possible explanation. Whereas some studies stated that declining soil fertility can lead to farmers abandoning their lands [64,65], others reported that declining soil fertility, which results in low yields, cause farmers to expand production into marginal lands as a survival strategy and insurance against low yields [1,66,67]. This normally happens in areas of land scarcity, where the traditional fallowing system of abandoning land for a period can no longer be supported [66].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiscale Remote Sensing to Map the Spatial Distribution and Extent of Cropland in the Sudanian Savanna of West Africa

et al. 2017

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Food security is the topmost priority on the global agenda. Accurate agricultural statistics (i.e., cropped area) are essential for decision making and developing appropriate programs to achieve food security. However, derivation of these essential agricultural statistics, especially in developing countries, is fraught with many challenges including financial, logistical and human capacity limitations. This study investigated the use of fractional cover approaches in mapping cropland area in the heterogeneous landscape of West Africa. Discrete cropland areas identified from multi-temporal Landsat data were upscaled to MODIS resolution using random forest regression. Producer's accuracy and user's accuracy of the cropland class in the Landsat scale analysis averaged 95% and 94%, respectively, indicating good separability between crop and non-crop land. Validation of the fractional cropland cover map at MODIS resolution (MODIS_FCM) revealed an overall mean absolute error of 19%. Comparison of MODIS_FCM with the MODIS land cover product (e.g., MODIS_LCP) demonstrate the suitability of the proposed approach to cropped area estimation in smallholder dominant heterogeneous landscapes over existing global solutions. Comparison with official government statistics (i.e., cropped area) revealed variable levels of agreement and partly enormous disagreements, which clearly indicate the need to integrate remote sensing approaches and ground based surveys conducted by agricultural ministries in improving cropped area estimation. The recent availability of a wide range of open access remote sensing data is expected to expedite this integration and contribute missing information urgently required for regional assessments of food security in West Africa and beyond.

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Evaluating sustainable and profitable cropping sequences with cassava and four legume crops: Effects on soil fertility and maize yields in the forest/savannah transitional agro-ecological zone of Ghana

Cited by 70 publications

References 13 publications

White lupin leads to increased maize yield through a soil fertility-independent mechanism: a new candidate for fighting Striga hermonthica infestation?

White lupin leads to increased maize yield through a soil fertility-independent mechanism: a new candidate for fighting Striga hermonthica infestation?

Action research on alternative land tenure arrangements in Wenchi, Ghana: learning from ambiguous social dynamics and self-organized institutional innovation

Multiscale Remote Sensing to Map the Spatial Distribution and Extent of Cropland in the Sudanian Savanna of West Africa

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