Natural resources management and sustainable intensification research at IITA
The need to grow more food without depleting important natural resources makes the intensification of African agriculture essential. The Green Revolution in South Asia and Latin America raised crop productivity through the deployment of improved varieties, water, and fertilizer. However, efforts to achieve similar results in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have largely failed.
The sustainable intensification of agriculture in SSA has gained support in recent years, especially in densely populated areas where natural fallows are no longer an option. In two short articles in IITA’s R4D Review Bernard Vanlauwe, a a key member of the Africa RISING team. introduces IITA’s NRM research in the new CGIAR ‘Humidtropics‘ research program and elaborates on the use of integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) as a framework for raising crop productivity.
