A farmer’s decision whether to use fertilizer is complicated in rainfed areas because the resulting yield gains vary greatly depending on rainfall, temperatures, soil conditions and many other factors. Farmers on about 25% of sub-Saharan Africa’s rainfed maize-growing land face an unacceptably high likelihood that this productivity-enhancing input will not pay off.
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References
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This is a summary of: McCullough, E. B. et al. Profitability of climate-smart soil fertility investment varies widely across sub-Saharan Africa. Nat. Food https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-022-00493-z (2022).
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Uncertain rainfall hinders soil health investment in much of sub-Saharan Africa. Nat Food 3, 316–317 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-022-00494-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-022-00494-y
