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Understanding Fertilizer Effectiveness and Adoption on Maize in Zambia

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  • Burke, William J.
  • Frossard, Emmanuel
  • Kabwe, Stephen
  • Jayne, Thomas S.

Abstract

As populations continue to rise and land becomes scarcer in Africa’s rural areas, there is increasing urgency for farmers to adopt land management practices that sustainably raise land and labor productivity. Considerable effort has focused on promoting inorganic fertilizers, but it is increasingly recognized that smallholder farmers’ demand for fertilizer can be depressed by soil conditions that reduce crop response to and the profitability of fertilizer use. This article quantifies the impacts of soil characteristics on maize response to fertilizer in Zambia using a nationally representative sample of 1,453 fields. In addition to economic and farm management surveys, composite soil samples were collected and analyzed for several characteristics at the Zambia Agricultural Research Institute.

Suggested Citation

  • Burke, William J. & Frossard, Emmanuel & Kabwe, Stephen & Jayne, Thomas S., 2016. "Understanding Fertilizer Effectiveness and Adoption on Maize in Zambia," Food Security International Development Working Papers 246955, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:midiwp:246955
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.246955
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    8. Snapp, Sieg & Jayne, T.S. & Mhango, Wezi & Ricker-Gilbert, Jacob, 2014. "Maize Yield Response to Nitrogen in Malawi’s Smallholder Production Systems," Food Security Collaborative Working Papers 188570, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
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    10. Marenya, Paswel Phiri & Barrett, Christopher B., 2009. "The effect of soil quality on fertilizer use rates among smallholder farmers in western Kenya," 2009 Conference, August 16-22, 2009, Beijing, China 51671, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jayne, Thomas S. & Mason, Nicole M. & Burke, William J. & Ariga, Joshua, 2018. "Review: Taking stock of Africa’s second-generation agricultural input subsidy programs," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 1-14.
    2. William J. Burke & Serena Li & Dingiswayo Banda, 2018. "Female access to fertile land and other inputs in Zambia: why women get lower yields," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 35(4), pages 761-775, December.
    3. Lay, Jann & Nolte, Kerstin & Sipangule, Kacana, 2018. "Large-Scale Farms and Smallholders: Evidence from Zambia," GIGA Working Papers 310, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies.
    4. Resnick, Danielle & Mason, Nicole M., 2016. "What drives input subsidy policy reform? The case of Zambia, 2002–2016," IFPRI discussion papers 1572, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    5. Berazneva, Julia & Lee, David R. & Place, Frank & Jakubson, George, 2018. "Allocation and Valuation of Smallholder Maize Residues in Western Kenya," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 172-182.
    6. Morgan, Stephen N. & Mason, Nicole M. & Levine, N. Kendra & Zulu-Mbata, Olipa, 2019. "Dis-incentivizing sustainable intensification? The case of Zambia’s maize-fertilizer subsidy program," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 54-69.
    7. Mason, N. & Morgan, S. & Levine, N.K. & Zulu-Mbata, O., 2018. "Dis-incentivizing sustainable intensification? The case of Zambia s fertilizer subsidy program," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277491, International Association of Agricultural Economists.

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    Keywords

    Farm Management; Productivity Analysis;

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