The role of active soil carbon in influencing the profitability of fertilizer use: empirical evidence from smallholder maize plots in Tanzania
We use recent plot-level panel data from Tanzanian smallholder farmers to investigate maize yield responses to inorganic fertilizer under variable soil carbon conditions. Unlike many prior studies which consider total carbon measurements, we focus on active soil carbon, which is a component strongly related to key soil functions, such as nutrient cycling and availability. Active soil carbon is found to be a strong predictor of maize yield response to nitrogen fertilizer. These results highlight important sources of variation in the returns to fertilizer investments across plots and smallholder farmers in the region. When farmgate prices for maize and fertilizer are incorporated into calculations of economic returns, we find that the profitability of fertilizer use is strongly dependent upon farmgate price ratio assumptions: under our most optimistic agronomic response estimates, 39% of farmer plots have an average value-cost ratio greater than 1.5 at a maize-nitrogen price ratio of 0.15. That share drops to 4% at a price ratio of 0.12 and 0% at a price ratio of 0.09. Our findings provide insights into the intertwined biophysical and economic underpinnings of low levels of fertilizer use in Tanzania and elsewhere in the region. Raising active carbon stocks in smallholder systems may be a strategic priority in many areas for incentivizing greater use of inorganic fertilizer, reversing land degradation, and achieving sustainable agricultural intensification.
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Format: | Article biblioteca |
Language: | English |
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Wiley
2021
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Subjects: | AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND BIOTECHNOLOGY, Active Carbon, Fertilizer Response, Smallholder Agriculture, CARBON, FERTILIZERS, MAIZE, SMALLHOLDERS, SOIL FERTILITY, |
Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10883/21580 |
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dig-cimmyt-10883-215802022-09-20T17:55:50Z The role of active soil carbon in influencing the profitability of fertilizer use: empirical evidence from smallholder maize plots in Tanzania Chamberlin, J. Jayne, T.S. Snapp, S.S. AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND BIOTECHNOLOGY Active Carbon Fertilizer Response Smallholder Agriculture CARBON FERTILIZERS MAIZE SMALLHOLDERS SOIL FERTILITY We use recent plot-level panel data from Tanzanian smallholder farmers to investigate maize yield responses to inorganic fertilizer under variable soil carbon conditions. Unlike many prior studies which consider total carbon measurements, we focus on active soil carbon, which is a component strongly related to key soil functions, such as nutrient cycling and availability. Active soil carbon is found to be a strong predictor of maize yield response to nitrogen fertilizer. These results highlight important sources of variation in the returns to fertilizer investments across plots and smallholder farmers in the region. When farmgate prices for maize and fertilizer are incorporated into calculations of economic returns, we find that the profitability of fertilizer use is strongly dependent upon farmgate price ratio assumptions: under our most optimistic agronomic response estimates, 39% of farmer plots have an average value-cost ratio greater than 1.5 at a maize-nitrogen price ratio of 0.15. That share drops to 4% at a price ratio of 0.12 and 0% at a price ratio of 0.09. Our findings provide insights into the intertwined biophysical and economic underpinnings of low levels of fertilizer use in Tanzania and elsewhere in the region. Raising active carbon stocks in smallholder systems may be a strategic priority in many areas for incentivizing greater use of inorganic fertilizer, reversing land degradation, and achieving sustainable agricultural intensification. 2681-2694 2021-07-27T00:15:16Z 2021-07-27T00:15:16Z 2021 Article Published Version https://hdl.handle.net/10883/21580 10.1002/ldr.3940 English https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ldr.3940#support-information-section CIMMYT manages Intellectual Assets as International Public Goods. The user is free to download, print, store and share this work. In case you want to translate or create any other derivative work and share or distribute such translation/derivative work, please contact CIMMYT-Knowledge-Center@cgiar.org indicating the work you want to use and the kind of use you intend; CIMMYT will contact you with the suitable license for that purpose Open Access Tanzania Sussex (United Kingdom) Wiley 9 32 1099-145X Land Degradation and Development |
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AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND BIOTECHNOLOGY Active Carbon Fertilizer Response Smallholder Agriculture CARBON FERTILIZERS MAIZE SMALLHOLDERS SOIL FERTILITY AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND BIOTECHNOLOGY Active Carbon Fertilizer Response Smallholder Agriculture CARBON FERTILIZERS MAIZE SMALLHOLDERS SOIL FERTILITY |
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AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND BIOTECHNOLOGY Active Carbon Fertilizer Response Smallholder Agriculture CARBON FERTILIZERS MAIZE SMALLHOLDERS SOIL FERTILITY AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND BIOTECHNOLOGY Active Carbon Fertilizer Response Smallholder Agriculture CARBON FERTILIZERS MAIZE SMALLHOLDERS SOIL FERTILITY Chamberlin, J. Jayne, T.S. Snapp, S.S. The role of active soil carbon in influencing the profitability of fertilizer use: empirical evidence from smallholder maize plots in Tanzania |
description |
We use recent plot-level panel data from Tanzanian smallholder farmers to investigate maize yield responses to inorganic fertilizer under variable soil carbon conditions. Unlike many prior studies which consider total carbon measurements, we focus on active soil carbon, which is a component strongly related to key soil functions, such as nutrient cycling and availability. Active soil carbon is found to be a strong predictor of maize yield response to nitrogen fertilizer. These results highlight important sources of variation in the returns to fertilizer investments across plots and smallholder farmers in the region. When farmgate prices for maize and fertilizer are incorporated into calculations of economic returns, we find that the profitability of fertilizer use is strongly dependent upon farmgate price ratio assumptions: under our most optimistic agronomic response estimates, 39% of farmer plots have an average value-cost ratio greater than 1.5 at a maize-nitrogen price ratio of 0.15. That share drops to 4% at a price ratio of 0.12 and 0% at a price ratio of 0.09. Our findings provide insights into the intertwined biophysical and economic underpinnings of low levels of fertilizer use in Tanzania and elsewhere in the region. Raising active carbon stocks in smallholder systems may be a strategic priority in many areas for incentivizing greater use of inorganic fertilizer, reversing land degradation, and achieving sustainable agricultural intensification. |
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Article |
topic_facet |
AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND BIOTECHNOLOGY Active Carbon Fertilizer Response Smallholder Agriculture CARBON FERTILIZERS MAIZE SMALLHOLDERS SOIL FERTILITY |
author |
Chamberlin, J. Jayne, T.S. Snapp, S.S. |
author_facet |
Chamberlin, J. Jayne, T.S. Snapp, S.S. |
author_sort |
Chamberlin, J. |
title |
The role of active soil carbon in influencing the profitability of fertilizer use: empirical evidence from smallholder maize plots in Tanzania |
title_short |
The role of active soil carbon in influencing the profitability of fertilizer use: empirical evidence from smallholder maize plots in Tanzania |
title_full |
The role of active soil carbon in influencing the profitability of fertilizer use: empirical evidence from smallholder maize plots in Tanzania |
title_fullStr |
The role of active soil carbon in influencing the profitability of fertilizer use: empirical evidence from smallholder maize plots in Tanzania |
title_full_unstemmed |
The role of active soil carbon in influencing the profitability of fertilizer use: empirical evidence from smallholder maize plots in Tanzania |
title_sort |
role of active soil carbon in influencing the profitability of fertilizer use: empirical evidence from smallholder maize plots in tanzania |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/10883/21580 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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