Land use in Africa

Most agriculture in the Sahel Region is carried out under rainfed conditions where low and uncertain soil moisture levels limit productivity. Improved soil, water and crop management practices are required to reverse the steady decline in per capita food production and sustain output over the long term. Several technological innovations and related farm management practices are evaluated in a case study of a typical farm in Mali. Through use of a soil‐water balance model and a whole‐farm economic model an optimal mix of these measures is identified. Compared to a base case where no modern inputs are utilized, the combination of animal traction (oxen team), low levels of NPK fertilizer, tied‐ridges, traditional long‐season food grain crops and early planting was most effective: food grain output was 35% higher than with the traditional base case; soil erosion was reduced by 72%; and even with residual future soil erosion damage capitalized into current income, net farm income was larger by a factor of almost 45.

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“…Annual rainfall, 5-year running average and mean annual for last 50 years, Mali. Source:Biswas, 1986b. …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil, water and crop management alternatives in rainfed agriculture in the Sahel: an economic analysis

Day

Hughes

Butcher

1992

Agricultural Economics

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An Economic Analysis of Farm Management Practices and Improved Technologies in the Sahel

Day¹,

Butcher²,

Hughes³

1990

Advances in Soil Science

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Dryland Social-Ecological Systems in Africa

Li,

Diop,

Hirwa

et al. 2024

Dryland Social-Ecological Systems in Changing Environments

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In Africa, dryland ecosystem is the largest biome complex, covering 60% of the continent and home to ~525 million people. Coupled with adverse climatic conditions and anthropogenic pressures make dryland highly vulnerable to environmental degradation. In this chapter, we elucidate an overview of dryland socio-ecological systems (DSES) in Africa. We examine dryland biodiversity as a basis for ecosystem services in Africa. Therefore, we investigate the research and technology gaps in African drylands. Finally, we conclude and highlight the future perspectives for sustainable DSES management. Sustainable development requires an understanding of and adherence to the proper functioning of DSES. We recommend to promote sustainable agricultural best practices and innovations as a tool to enhance community resilience and cope with climate change impacts on food security, use modern observational data and develop idealistic models to better understand the climate-drylands-food security nexus approaches, and strengthen dryland research and management effectiveness through emerging and affordable technologies.

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Land use in Africa

Cited by 11 publications

References 6 publications

Soil, water and crop management alternatives in rainfed agriculture in the Sahel: an economic analysis

Soil, water and crop management alternatives in rainfed agriculture in the Sahel: an economic analysis

An Economic Analysis of Farm Management Practices and Improved Technologies in the Sahel

Dryland Social-Ecological Systems in Africa

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