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Browsing Conference Proceedings by Author "Abdoulaye Mando"
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- ItemInformed Site-specific Fertilizer Recommendation for Upland Rice Production in Northern Guinea Savannah of Nigeria(2010-01) K.S. Ezui; C.K. Daudu; Abdoulaye Mando; T.M. Kudi; A.C. Odunze; J.O. Adeosun; I.Y. Amapu; B. Tarfa; I. Sambo; I. Bello; Constant Dangbe´gnonDespite the overwhelming recognition by small-holders of the important role of mineral fertilizer in rice farming, the average fertilizer use in Nigeria is far below crop requirement for sustainable production. This is because of generalized recommendations for broad areas that take no account of the complexity and diversity of farmers operating contexts. There is a need to develop ‘à la carte’ fertilizer recommendations and strengthen the farmers’ understanding of mineral fertilizer to allow them to fine-tune and pick the most suitable recommendation given their soil type and their economic circumstances. One of the projects of the Sub-Saharan Africa Challenge Programme has set out to improve fertilizer use within rice farming communities in the northern guinea savannah (NGS) zone of Nigeria by engaging farmer communities through participatory learning and action-research using nutrient-omission trials as one of the main tools. Farmers installed ‘nutrientomission plots’ in part of their fields on the major soil types of the area. The results revealed that the most limiting nutrient on most soils in the pilot villages was nitrogen, followed by phosphorus. Discussions about the results among actors led to ‘à la carte’ recommendation options tailored to meet farmers’ financial capacities and production goals. These alternative options were evaluated by farmer groups prior to their dissemination.
- ItemIntegrated Soil Fertility Management, and Effective Water Conservation Technology for Sustainable Dryland Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa(2004) Bidjokazo Fofana; M.C.S. Wopereis ; R. Zougmoré; Henk Breman; Abdoulaye MandoSoil fertility is naturally low in extensive parts of subSaharan Africa (SSA) and nutrient mining, through crop nutrient removal without adequate replenishment, leads to soil degradation. To reverse soil and environmental degradation, it is imperative to develop new and sustainable technologies in cooperation with farmers. IFDC is involved in the development of Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) strategies that enhance both agricultural productivity and soil fertility through the appropriate and integrated use of locally available organic resources and inorganic fertilizers. IFDC has developed – in close collaboration with its partner institutions and major stakeholders (i.e. farmers, input dealers, traders, rural bankers) a participatory process-oriented approach to promote ISFM strategies in several well-targeted areas in West Africa. Strategic research is being carried out with partners in West Africa to fill gaps in existing knowledge and in particular, to examine synergies obtained from ISFM strategies and their impact on water- and nutrient-use efficiencies. Concepts of water-limited versus nutrient-limited growing conditions and results from strategic research efforts in south Togo and Burkina Faso are reported on. The combined use of mineral fertilizers and a mucuna short fallow resulted in significant gains in agricultural productivity in mixed maize-manioc production systems in Togo. The mulching effect of mucuna led to increased grain yield and nutrient (N) use efficiency by maize. This was ascribed to the effectiveness of mucuna mulch in improving water conservation and crop establishment. In Burkina Faso, stone rows and grass strips were shown to be effective means to conserve water, but sorghum productivity and water use efficiency were only improved with application of compost or urea-N. The combined application of urea-N and various organic soil amendments led to increased grain yield and N agronomic efficiency by sorghum, but not water conservation. In SSA, nutrients will be often be more limiting than water and ISFM is, therefore, key to improved agricultural productivity and increased water use efficiency.
- ItemTowards Successful Collective Action for Watershed Development for Improved Smallholder Livelihoods in West Africa(2008) Constant Dangbe´gnon; Abdoulaye Mando; J. Sogbedji; R. Zougmoré ; Sansan YoulLivelihoods of many people in Sub-Saharan Africa are tightly depending on sustainable watershed resources. Therefore in several countries, watershed development has become a major issue and many interdependent smallholders with low resource endowments are concerned by the use of associated natural resources. In the particular context of West Africa, watersheds are embedded in complex property right relations among users, making collective or individual investments for their development too risky or too difficult to organize. The diversity of watershed development outcomes, for instance infrastructures like stone bunds and institutions for governing watershed activities are analyzed as public goods and common pool resources (CPRs) using the common theory perspectives. It is well known in the literature that collective action is a necessary condition to resolve problems related to public goods and CPRs in different circumstances. Beyond existing empirical explorations of conditions for collective action, this paper focuses on the design of a pathway to make successful collective action to happen using ideas, concepts and theories of communication, social learning, and management sciences. Insights from watershed projects in Benin, Togo, Mali and Burkina Faso enabled understanding of the (i) nature of watershed development problems, (ii) the learning path for alternative solutions, (iii) external support to implement solutions, and (iv) effects on collective action and smallholders’ livelihoods. Key lessons are learnt concerning ways of making watershed problems visible, learning to share a common understanding, and strategies for catalyzing behavioral changes for facilitating the emergence of successful collective action. A synthesis is provided to inform new practices that underpin local institutions building for watershed development that would benefit resource – poor smallholders in West Africa.