Cattle rearing in humid west Africa was nearly impossible in the past owing to the prevalence of trypanosomiasis, a disease caused by the tsetse fly. However, in recent times, with population pressure, jungle clearance, crop cultivation and tsetse control measures, the challenge has been...

A dynamic bio-economic model is used to show that, without technological and policy intervention, soil nutrient balances, income and nutrition could not be substantially or sustainably improved in a highland area of Ethiopia. Although cash incomes could rise from a very low base by more than 50%...

The incorporation of livestock into alley farming systems, in which food or forage crops are grown between hedges of multipurpose trees that are regularly pruned for mulch and/or forage, has been studied for over 10 years in Africa. Prunings from leguminous trees such as Leucaena and Gliricidia...

With increasing environmental concerns, increasing population, changing tastes and preferences of consumers towards healthier foods, and with more food safety requirements, agronomic practices have changed gradually to provide not only food and fiber but also public goods and other beneficial...

A dynamic bio-economic model is used to show that, without technological and policy intervention, soil nutrient balances, income and nutrition could not be substantially or sustainably improved in a highland area of Ethiopia. Although cash incomes could rise from a very low base by more than 50%...

This paper looks briefly at ecoregional research: what is commonly meant by the term and how it may be carried out. ILRI’s involvement in various ecoregional consortia is discussed, together with problems and constraints that have been faced to date. The paper ends by listing a number of...

Alley farming was developed as a means of maintaining soil fertility in fields under permanent cultivation in Africa, as population pressure makes the traditional practice of slash-and-burn combined with fallowing unsustainable. It is an agroforestry system under which food crops are grown in...

Multiple studies have estimated factors influencing cover crop adoption which include control weed population (Ngouajio et al. 2002), increased soil health (Santhi Wicks and Richard Howitt, 2005), and increased productivity (Johannes M. S. Scholberg, Santiago Dogliotti, Lincoln Zotarelli, Corey...

This study examines the economic potential of producing a wheat (Triticum aesitivum) and grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) rotation with three different tillage strategies compared to the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in a semi-arid region. This research uses stochastic efficiency...

This study focuses on development of agricultural best management practices (BMPs) for potato production areas in Northeast Florida, and presents the results of the initial situation assessment. BMP implementation is the primary strategy used by agencies and farmers to improve the efficiency and...