Sustainable Intensification with Cereal-Legume Intercropping in Eastern and Southern Africa

Abednego Kiwia, David Kimani, Rebbie Harawa, Bashir Jama and Gudeta W. Sileshi
Additional contact information
Abednego Kiwia: Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), West End Towers, Waiyaki Way, P.O. Box 66773 Westlands, Nairobi 00800, Kenya
David Kimani: Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), West End Towers, Waiyaki Way, P.O. Box 66773 Westlands, Nairobi 00800, Kenya
Rebbie Harawa: Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), West End Towers, Waiyaki Way, P.O. Box 66773 Westlands, Nairobi 00800, Kenya
Bashir Jama: Islamic Development Bank, 8111 King Khalid St., Al Nuzlah Al Yamania Dist., Jeddah 22332-2444, Saudi Arabia
Gudeta W. Sileshi: Plot 1244, Ibex Hill, 10100 Lusaka, Zambia

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 10, 1-18

Abstract: Much research has been conducted on cereal-legume intercropping as a sustainable intensification (SI) practice in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA). However, the role of inorganic fertilizers in sustainably intensifying intercropping systems has not been systematically analyzed. Therefore, the objective of the present analysis was to assess the role of inorganic fertilizer use in cereal-pigeonpea ( Cajanus cajan ) intercropping in terms of SI indicators, namely, yield, production risks, input use efficiency, and economic returns. The data used for this analysis were gathered from over 900 on-farm trials across Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique. All SI indicators assessed showed that intercropping combined with application of small amounts of inorganic fertilizers is superior to unfertilized intercrops. Fertilizer application in the intercropping system improved cereal yields by 71–282% and pigeon pea yields by 32–449%, increased benefit–cost ratios by 10–40%, and reduced variability in cereal yields by 40–56% and pigeonpea yields by 5–52% compared with unfertilized intercrops. Improved yields and reduced variability imply lowering farmers’ risk exposure and improved credit rating, which could enhance access to farm inputs. We conclude that the strategic application of small amounts of inorganic fertilizers is essential for the productivity and economic sustainability of cereal-pigeonpea intercropping under smallholder farming in ESA.

Keywords: agronomic efficiency; climate-smart agriculture; mother-baby trial; nutrient mining; trade-off (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/10/2891/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/10/2891/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:10:p:2891-:d:233080

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().