Wheat in Africa

Forest edges near farms enhance wheat productivity measures; a test using high spatial resolution remote sensing of smallholder farms in Southern Ethiopia

Staple crops are grown by millions of smallholder farmers yet estimating field-level yields over broad regions can be challenging. Furthermore, agricultural productivity can be impacted by nearby forests and trees. In an agricultural-forest mosaic in …

Forest restoration scenarios produce synergies for agricultural production in southern Ethiopia

Understanding the factors influencing agricultural productivity is vital to food security, especially for food insecure smallholder farmers. Within agricultural landscape mosaics, the arrangement of tree cover such as forests, trees, and hedgerows …

Implementation of permanent raised beds contributes to increased crop yield and profitability in the Northeastern Tigray region, Ethiopia

A major problem faced by small-scale farmers in northern Ethiopia is reduced crop yield due to increasing soil degradation resulting from repeated tillage and inadequate agronomic management practices. These practices have left soils and rainfed …

How to increase the productivity and profitability of smallholder rainfed wheat in the Eastern African highlands? Northern Rwanda as a case study

As wheat demand is increasing in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), domestic production is being encouraged. The potential to increase the productivity and profitability of wheat appears large in the region, but little is known about the concrete …

Soil organic matter underlies crop nutritional quality and productivity in smallholder agriculture

Global crop yield gains have not be associated with increases in the many macro- and micro-nutrients needed for a balanced human diet. There is thus growing interest in improving agricultural practices to increase nutrient availability to people. …

Climate-smart agroforestry. Faidherbia albida trees buffer wheat against climatic extremes in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia

Faidherbia albida parklands cover a large area of the Sudano-Sahelian zone of Africa, a region that suffers from soil fertility decline, food insecurity and climate change. The parklands deliver multiple benefits, including fuelwood, soil nutrient …

Restoring cropland productivity and profitability in Northern Ethiopian drylands after nine years of resource-conserving agriculture

Long-term in situ soil and water conservation experiments are rare in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Eastern Africa. A long-term experiment was conducted (2005-2013) on a Vertisol to quantify the impacts of resource-conserving agriculture (RCA) …