Low-Input Agricultural Technologies for Sub-Saharan Africa

The authors discuss low-input agricultural strategies known and practised by many subsistence and smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, which are efficient and intensify food production. Their proposed technologies are suitable options useable in response to concerns about the environmental impact made by using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Therefore, new agricultural technologies should be used in order to avoid land degradation but rather improve soil through appropriate conservation practices. With the help of these new low-input strategies, the exploitation of land leading to massive destruction, and as such to rural poverty, can be avoided. Field tests have shown that the low-input agricultural strategies are economically affordable to poor farmers and easy to implement.

Frackson Lameck Mkandawire pursued his studies in agriculture in Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya. His academic interests are in food production, organic farming, farming system and sustainable agriculture. He is presently senior lecturer in agriculture at the University of Eastern Africa, Baraton (Kenya).
Mmaduabuchukwu Mkpada is an expert on African agricultural economics. His findings can be found in various articles. His interests are in poverty eradication and economic policies development. The editor is professor for agricultural economics at the Novena University (Nigeria).