Agro-ecological study to realize "Green Revolution" in the semiarid Tropics of Africa

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In semiarid area extending in the southern periphery of the Sahara Desert with the annual precipitation of about 400-800 mm, serious environmental degradation due to poverty known as desertification prevails. In this research, we evaluated soil management practices that can combat desertification from the viewpoint of not only productivity but sustainability based on nutrient budget. We found that chemical fertilizer application could increase the productivity as well as alleviate impact of drought. However, in the conventional practice that removes crop residues from a field for animal feed or building materials, a little fertilization may even accelerate nutrient mining of soils. Thus, even in the case of fertilization, crop residue management plays a key role in sustainability of soils.