Soil nutrient depletion by agricultural production in Southern Mali

Pol, F. van der; Traoré, Boubacar

doi:10.1007/bf00749951

Cited by 52 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 3 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In a micro‐study of crop productivity in southern Mali, Pol and Traore (1993) argue that agricultural production is significantly reduced with continuous cropping, primarily because of soil erosion, acidification, and nutrient depletion. Furthermore, several authors have argued that new production practices and crop complexes have led to critical crop nutrient deficiencies.…”

Section: Animal Traction and Indicators Of Soil Fertility In Dohounmentioning

confidence: 99%

What kind of intensification? Agricultural practice, soil fertility and socioeconomic differentiation in rural Burkina Faso

Gray

2005

Geographical Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In rural Burkina Faso, intensification has been an uneven process that has resulted in social costs, particularly in the form of uneven distribution of assets and disparate environmental trade‐offs. This study examines the effects of wealth status on agricultural practice and soil fertility, arguing that differences in the practices of wealthier and poorer farmers lead to differential social and environmental outcomes. Two concerns are highlighted. First is the role of poverty in environmental degradation. Much of the debate about the role of wealth and poverty in environmental outcomes in developing countries has pinpointed poverty as the main causal explanation. Using studies of agricultural practices and soil fertility from several villages in southwestern Burkina Faso, this paper will counter this dominant view by showing that wealthier farmers farm much larger areas, have fewer trees in their fields, and use higher levels of animal traction which, in turn, has led to lower levels of soil fertility. A second concern is that while poorer farmers may have agricultural practices that minimize environmental degradation, their exclusion from key institutions that provide access to resources has serious livelihood consequences and potentials for increasing socioeconomic differentiation. The agricultural practices of wealthier farmers, while not optimal environmentally, result in higher levels of household wealth. A paradox emerges that while poorer farmers are conserving environmental resources, they are doing so at the expense of economic development and well‐being.

show abstract

Section: Animal Traction and Indicators Of Soil Fertility In Dohounmentioning

confidence: 99%

What kind of intensification? Agricultural practice, soil fertility and socioeconomic differentiation in rural Burkina Faso

Gray

2005

Geographical Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Crop growth and yield are highly affected by Mg deficiency in intensive agricultural production areas (Römheld & Kirby, 2007 (Maathuis, 2009;Gransee & Führs, 2013), and the planting of successive crops with unbalanced Mg fertilization relative to the crop Mg uptake (Pol & Traore, 1993). Even in soils with adequate Mg levels, Mg deficiency may occur due to excessive acidity, high levels of aluminium or manganese, salinity, low water availability in the soil, and low plant transpiration (Mengel & Kirby, 2001;Lynch & St. Clair, 2004;Gransee & Führs, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Yield performance of soybean and corn subjected to magnesium foliar spray

Altarugio

Loman

Nirschl

et al. 2017

Pesq. agropec. bras.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

-The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of magnesium foliar spray on yield performance of soybean (Glycine max) and corn (Zea mays) cultivated in soil with adequate levels of base saturation and magnesium content in Brazil. The field trials were conducted on a Typic Hapludox cultivated with soybean and corn in the 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 crop seasons, respectively. Treatments consisted of Mg rates (50, 100, 250, 500, 1,000 and 1,500 g ha -1 and a control without Mg) applied during the V4, R1, and R5.1 (soybean) or V4 and R2 (corn) phenological growth stages as magnesium sulfate heptahydrate (MgSO 4 •7H 2 O). The SPAD index, leaf Mg content, grain yield, and 100-grain weight were evaluated. The Mg foliar spray increased the SPAD index in soybean and the leaf Mg content in corn. The Mg rates of 540 and 890 g ha -1 increased in 325 and 737 kg ha -1 the yield performance of soybean and corn, respectively, regardless of the phenological growth stages. The Mg application during the reproductive stages increased in 2% the 100-grain weight for both crops. Foliar spraying of Mg improves the yield performance in soybean and corn crops.

show abstract

“…They are also the major nutrients limiting crop production in sub-Saharan African farming systems (Vlek 1990). Balances of these nutrients in agro-ecosystems can indicate the sustainability status of the farming system (Van der Pol and Traore 1993). Relating them with farm household characteristics can therefore help to identify factors that influence sustainability of farming systems, an approach we apply in this study.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drivers of land use change and household determinants of sustainability in smallholder farming systems of Eastern Uganda

et al. 2010

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Smallholder farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa have undergone changes in land use, productivity and sustainability. Understanding of the drivers that have led to changes in land use in these systems and factors that influence the systems’ sustainability is useful to guide appropriate targeting of intervention strategies for improvement. We studied low input Teso farming systems in eastern Uganda from 1960 to 2001 in a place-based analysis combined with a comparative analysis of similar low input systems in southern Mali. This study showed that policy-institutional factors next to population growth have driven land use changes in the Teso systems, and that nutrient balances of farm households are useful indicators to identify their sustainability. During the period of analysis, the fraction of land under cultivation increased from 46 to 78%, and communal grazing lands nearly completely disappeared. Cropping diversified over time; cassava overtook cotton and millet in importance, and rice emerged as an alternative cash crop. Impacts of political instability, such as the collapse of cotton marketing and land management institutions, of communal labour arrangements and aggravation of cattle rustling were linked to the changes. Crop productivity in the farming systems is poor and nutrient balances differed between farm types. Balances of N, P and K were all positive for larger farms (LF) that had more cattle and derived a larger proportion of their income from off-farm activities, whereas on the medium farms (MF), small farms with cattle (SF1) and without cattle (SF2) balances were mostly negative. Sustainability of the farming system is driven by livestock, crop production, labour and access to off-farm income. Building private public partnerships around market-oriented crops can be an entry point for encouraging investment in use of external nutrient inputs to boost productivity in such African farming systems. However, intervention strategies should recognise the diversity and heterogeneity between farms to ensure efficient use of these external inputs.

show abstract

Soil nutrient depletion by agricultural production in Southern Mali

Cited by 52 publications

References 3 publications

What kind of intensification? Agricultural practice, soil fertility and socioeconomic differentiation in rural Burkina Faso

What kind of intensification? Agricultural practice, soil fertility and socioeconomic differentiation in rural Burkina Faso

Yield performance of soybean and corn subjected to magnesium foliar spray

Drivers of land use change and household determinants of sustainability in smallholder farming systems of Eastern Uganda

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About