Farmers’ Insights and Practices on Sustainable Soil Nutrient and Pest Management in Semi-Arid Eastern Africa

David Ojuu (), Angela G. Mkindi, Akida I. Meya, Richard A. Giliba, Steven Vanek and Steven R. Belmain
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David Ojuu: School of Life Sciences and Bioengineering, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha P.O. Box 447, Tanzania
Angela G. Mkindi: School of Life Sciences and Bioengineering, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha P.O. Box 447, Tanzania
Akida I. Meya: School of Life Sciences and Bioengineering, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha P.O. Box 447, Tanzania
Richard A. Giliba: School of Life Sciences and Bioengineering, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha P.O. Box 447, Tanzania
Steven Vanek: Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Steven R. Belmain: Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime, Kent ME4 4TB, UK

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 6, 1-29

Abstract: The need to increase agricultural production for food, fiber, and feed for a growing population is a global call. Sub-Saharan Africa currently experiences declining soil fertility and increasing pest pressures affecting agricultural production. Soil fertility and pest management practices tend to vary greatly among smallholder farmers due to farm-based limitations, attitudes, and perceptions. Using focus group discussions and individual farmer interviews, we evaluated the socio-economic factors influencing the production and utilization of nutrient resources by smallholder farmers. We also assessed factors for pest prevalence and management by smallholder farmers. We observed that the major organic nutrient fertilizer resources used by farmers are farmyard manure and crop residue recycling. The production and utilization of organic nutrient fertilizer resources vary according to agroecological zone, influenced by livestock ownership, grazing management, and farmer organization; Farmer Research Network farmers show optimal use of nutrient resources compared to non-Farmer Research Network farmers. Pest problems varied across agroecologies and were influenced by field management gradients. We noted that FRN farmers used ecologically relevant pest management approaches more frequently than non-FRN farmers. Our findings on nutrient resources and pest management highlight context-specific issues to leverage to promote agroecological approaches for agricultural productivity and resilient semi-arid landscapes.

Keywords: farmer research network; organic fertilizer resources; bioinoculant; pest management; agroecological transformation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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