Management Of Vertisols For Improved Crop Production In The Semi-Arid Topics: A Plan For A Technology Transfer Network In Africa

In the Vertisols of semi-arid India (Usterts), ICIUSAT has shown that by the application of efficient land, water and crop management techniques, crop yields of the ~rder of over 3 ton's per ha can be harvested successfully where traditional methods only yield 500-700 kg per ha. Some of the components of this technology can be progressively applied to the African Vertisols and vertic soils, P'erification trials and additional experiments may be required to adapt the available improved technologies in Vertisols to the semi-arid tropical regions of Africa. This paper also outlines the background leading to the proposal for the establishment of a Vertisol management network for increased crop production. A suggested list of activities for collaborative research and the institutions that are comparatively strong in various activity areas has been compiled. Finally some items towards an agenda for developing a workshop network proposal are identified