CONTEXT Cocoa agroforestry systems differ in the diversity of shade tree species composition. Though cocoa benefits from shade, there is a lack of species-specific information on shade trees that enhance soil fertility and yield. OBJECTIVE We examined how soil characteristics and cocoa yield were affected by eight commonly retained forest tree spec...
While numerous studies have documented the benefits of conservation agriculture (CA) in South Asia, most focus on favorable environments where farmers have reliable access to energy supporting irrigation and inputs. The performance of CA in South Asia’s under-developed coastal environments is comparatively understudied. In these environments, farme...
Reducing tillage in cropping systems causes weed management to be dependent on chemical and cultural methods for weed control. Over time, herbicide-resistant weeds have developed due to the continuous selection pressures from herbicides, particularly in the Midwest Corn Belt. Integrated weed management strategies, such as cover crops, can be used t...
The Conservation Agriculture (CA) system promoted by Total LandCare (TLC) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) is based on 14 years of experience grounded on the principles of minimum soil disturbance, good soil cover and crop associations. The platform to promote CA in Malawi was to build a strong base of knowledge abo...
Published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science
The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of reduced stocking density in combination with provision of additional enrichment material on pig welfare on-farm. On three growing-finishing farms in Austria, in total 974, 413, and 70 pigs were kept at 1 m2/pig and straw or hay in a rack as additional enrichment material (improved pens, IP; n =...
Poor and variable crop responses to fertilizer applications constitute a production risk and may pose a barrier to fertilizer adoption in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Attempts to measure response variability and quantify the prevalence of non-response empirically are complicated by the fact that data from on-farm fertilizer trials generally include di...
Weed competition is the major biological stress affecting cassava production in smallholder farms in West and Central Africa, where yields are low compared with those in Asia and Latin America. Options for improved weed management are crucial in increasing productivity. Selected pre- and post-emergence herbicides, integrated with appropriate tillag...
This document contains a summary of the observations and results of the IITA research farms soil assessment. This report also includes the proposed soil management plans for each of the research farms. The field observation data, soil and water laboratory results are presented in the Appendix.
Increasing tree cover in agricultural lands can contribute to achieving global and national restoration goals, more so in the drylands where trees play a key role in enhancing both ecosystem and livelihood resilience of the communities that depend on them. Despite this, drylands are characterized by low tree survival especially for tree species pre...
