Fertilizer policies and implications for African agriculture

In response to the low adoption of improved inputs, African governments have pursued various fertilizer promotion policies and programs. These initiatives range from state-controlled procurement and distribution systems to wholly private sector–led systems. This chapter reviews the pros and cons of some of these polices and their implications for fertilizer use and agricultural productivity. We also review general trends in fertilizer consumption and application rates, marginal returns to fertilizer use, trends in tailored recommendations for nutrients based on soil tests, and emerging concerns regarding unbalanced use of fertilizer in fragile regions of the continent.PRIFPRI4; ReSAKSS; CRP2AFR; MTID; DSGD; PIMCGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM