Nutrient Management for Grain Legume Crop Production in Africa

IPNI-2012-GBL-49

Overview

Grain legumes are an important source of dietary protein and income for farmers in most parts of sub-Saharan Africa. In the past, grain legumes have been grown mainly as subsistence food crops, but there has been a rapid increase in their commercial importance over the past 5 years, mainly driven by increased demand from the agro-processing industry. Read more

Year of initiation:2012

Year of completion:2015

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Interpretive Summary

2015

The study was initiated in Muguga, Central Kenya in 2012 as part of the Global Maize network of trials to identify site-specific nutrient management practices that for sustainable intensification of maize production. The overall objective is to evaluate opportunities for Agroecological Intensification (AEI) as a means to improve maize yields at a faster rate than farmer practice, while minimizing adverse environmental effects. Mugaga is in a high potential maize production zone (av.

2014

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Soybean yield intensification in smallholder farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa has been limited by lack of proper nutrient management strategies tailored to the highly variable soil fertility conditions. On-farm experiments were established at three sites in western Kenya to assess the effect of balanced fertilizer use, and manure and lime application on N fixation potential, yield, and profitability of soybean under a range soil fertility conditions.

Updates & Reports

2012	Project Description

Publications

Boosting Soybean Yields and Raising Farmer Income in Kenya with Nutrient Management Grain legumes are an important source of dietary protein and income for farmers in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Soybean production provides smallholder farmers in Kenya and Uganda with an alternative cash income, improves nutritional security and contributes to the soil N supply through biological N2 fixation. Smallholder farmers currently apply little or no fertilizer on soybean and prefer to use it on other crops instead, which has contributed to poor soybean yields.

Research with Impact