Food Production in Africa Limited Due to Fertilizer Imbalance

January 2014

Fertilizer nutrient imbalance to limit food production in Africa

Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140128094718.htm

            According to a new study published in the journal Global Change Biology, an increasing inequity between phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizer use in Africa may result in crop yield reductions of nearly 30% by 2050. The underuse of phosphorus - based fertilizers in Africa currently contributes to this growing yield gap. The phosphorus - specific yield gap currently lies at around 10% for subsistence farmers, but will grow to 27% by 2050 if the recent trends continue.

            "As farmers use fertilizers for their crops, nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus build up in the soil, providing a reserve of nutrients that plants need to grow." Although this is true, fertilizer use in Africa remains very low, and in order to increase crop production, farmers must increase their fertilizer use. Though nitrogen-based fertilizer usage has started to increase in Africa in the last 10 years, the application of phosphorus to cropland has increased at the same rate, producing a "growing imbalance" between nitrogen and phosphorus levels in the soil.

            The study used data from Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) crop trials along with a recognized EPIC large-scale crop model to approximate how the imbalance affects present and future crop yields.