Title: Factors affecting demand for fertilizer in Sub-Saharan Africa
Abstract: This paper evaluates different strategies to make significant improvements in fertilizer supply to smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan African (SSA). Use of supply chain analysis is advocated as a means of identifying entry points where targeted interventions can shift the fertilizer supply curve to the right. The growing contrast between the role played by fertilizer in other regions and the very limited use of fertilizer in SSA has stimulated debate about the role of fertilizer in Africa, and what types of policies and programs are needed to realize its potential benefits. The objective of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge and the key debates concerning fertilizer demand in SSA. Technical, economic, and policy issues are addressed. An important component of this assumption is that programs are needed to encourage economically sound and technically efficient fertilizer use, not simply increased use. This paper concludes: A shift in the demand curve is likely to elicit a greater increase in aggregate demand than a simple movement along the demand curve in response to a lower fertilizer price. Effective demand for fertilizer is based on farmers' perceptions of fertilizer response, which may differ from the response observed by scientists. Hence, potential demand can be increased through agricultural research that identifies more fertilizer responsive crop varieties and land husbandry practices that increase fertilizer efficiency and reduce production risk.
Publication Year: 2006
Publication Date: 2006-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 70
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