Africa’s Growing Soil Fertility Crisis : What Role For Fertilizer?

Reversing Africa's decades-long
decline in soil productivity levels poses a major challenge,
and one that cannot be addressed without increased use of
appropriate fertilizer nutrients. The 2006 World Bank Africa
Fertilizer Strategy Assessment was undertaken to inform
policy makers, providing them with guidelines on measures to
effectively raise fertilizer use. This Note draws upon the
material prepared for the above fertilizer strategy
assessment, summarizes the information on the approaches to
enhancing fertilizer supply and use in Africa, and
identifies some future steps.