Challenges and opportunities on the use of bio fertilizers: cases study from Senegal and Kenya

Not only phosphorus (P) bioavailable in soil is very low but phosphate fertilizing efficiency is also low. Consequently, annual world P demand increases predicting phosphorus stock end in the coming 125 years. In addition to that, the high cost of chemical fertilizers obliges most Sub Sahara African smallholder farmers to do not use fertilizers which ultimately results in poor yields. In this paper, we present opportunities and challenges of using bio fertilizers as sustainable way of alleviating soil P deficiency effects in Kenya and Senegal. In Kenya where soil P deficiency has been identified as the biggest challenge of crop productivity increases, we share results on the use of commercialized arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculants to replenish soil P. While in Senegal known having huge quantities of P rock deposit and important quantities of feed stock material that can be charred (biochar), we present results on the capacities of biochar to improve P availability for plant cultivated in sandy soil. Results from both countries show that curre nt expectations on the use of bio fertilizers are numerous and justified. However challenges on sustainable agriculture through the use of the called bio fertilizers especially mycorrhizal inoculants and biochar are still ahead. (Texte intégral