eprintid: 5111
rev_number: 10
eprint_status: archive
userid: 14
dir: disk0/00/00/51/11
datestamp: 2011-12-28 08:19:44
lastmod: 2013-09-14 11:59:08
status_changed: 2011-12-28 08:19:44
type: article
metadata_visibility: show
contact_email: Library-ICRISAT@cgiar.org
creators_name: Enyong, L A
creators_name: Debrah, S K
creators_name: Bationo, A
icrisatcreators_name: Debrah, S K
icrisatcreators_name: Bationo, A
affiliation: Institute for Agricultural Research and Development
affiliation: ICRISAT(Bamako)
affiliation: ICRISAT(Niamey)
country: Cameroon
country: Mali
country: Niger
title: Farmers’ perceptions and attitudes towards introduced soil-fertility enhancing technologies in western Africa
ispublished: pub
subjects: s2.11
subjects: s2.4
subjects: s2.5
full_text_status: restricted
note: The research was undertaken under the ICRISAT Visiting
Scientist scheme through funding from research
project ‘Integrated Systems Project 3’. The authors
would like to thank Drs. Mamadou Doumbia, Mama
Kone,Meme Togola, Demba Kebe, Amadou Gakou of
IER, Mali, Drs. Souleymane Ouedraogo and Francois
Lompo of INERA, Burkina Faso and Mr. Souleymane
Diop of IFDC for their assistance in providing data
and sample selection. They are also grateful for the
helpful comments on earlier drafts by Drs. Elias Ayuk,
Ramajita Tabo and Akin Adesina.
abstract: Soil fertility enhancing technologies (SFETs) have been promoted in the West African Semi-Arid Tropics
(WASAT) for many years with limited success. Using a qualitative approach of focus group discussions, long, openended
interviews and observations from field visits, this paper explores with farmers their beliefs and rationales
behind the adoption or non-adoption of SFETs. Farmers are knowledgeable about, and practise SFETs of rock
phosphate application, crop residue and farm yard manure, chemical fertilizer and crop rotation to combat soil
fertility decline. Their attitudes to and rationales behind adoption decisions are influenced by the availability
and use policies of land and labour resources, food security concerns, perceived profitability, contribution to
sustainability and access to information. Some of the factors are beyond farmers’ control and require a broad
and integrated effort from research, extension and government to promote the use of the SFETs in the region.
date: 1999
date_type: published
publication: Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems
volume: 53
number: 2
publisher: Springer
pagerange: 177-187
refereed: TRUE
issn: 1385-1314
official_url: Http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1009745225465 
related_url_url: http://scholar.google.co.in/scholar?as_q=Farmers%E2%80%99+perceptions+and+attitudes+towards+introduced+soil-fertility+enhancing+technologies+in+western+Africa&num=10&btnG=Search+Scholar&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_occt=title&as_sauthors=&as_publication=&as_y
related_url_type: author
funders: International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
projects: Integrated Systems Project 3
citation:   Enyong, L A and Debrah, S K and Bationo, A  (1999) Farmers’ perceptions and attitudes towards introduced soil-fertility enhancing technologies in western Africa.  Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 53 (2).  pp. 177-187.  ISSN 1385-1314     
document_url: http://oar.icrisat.org/5111/1/NutrCyclAgro53%282%29177-187.pdf