Americas and Oceania Group - International Plant Nutrition Institute

Asia and Africa Group
Africa
Dr. Shamie Zingore
Maize Intensification in Mozambique (MIM) - An Industry Response to the Abuja Declaration on Fertilizer for an African
Green Revolution
Project Leader: Marcel van den Berg, IFDC, Maputo, Mozambique. E-mail: mvandenberg@ifdc.org
For 4 years, IPNI has been working in Mozambique with IFDC (International Center for Soil Fertility
and Agricultural Development) to help small-holder farmers improve their livelihood through intensifying
maize production. Our objective is to demonstrate the use and value of fertilizers and other ‘best agricultural
practices’ (i.e. improved seed, crop protection, tillage systems etc.) to help small-holder farmers in
Mozambique move from subsistence to commercial farming. This project compliments regional IFDC
activities linking farmers with agri-input suppliers and traders, NGOs, farmers’ organizations, extension
services, and other partners, thus strengthening the value chain of maize production in the country.
In 2011, several demonstrations on productive farming areas in Manica and Sofala Provinces in Central
Mozambique and Zambezia Provinces in Northern Mozambique were conducted. Hybrid maize produced
about 1.2 t/ha without fertilizer application, and performed better than farmer-saved seed varieties which
produced only 0.8 t/ha. The application of NPKS fertilizer and the use of hybrid seed tripled maize yields
from that of the normal practice of farmers planting saved seed and not using fertilizer. The use of NPKS
fertilizer also gave a net income of USD 400, indicating high economic returns to intensification of maize
production in Mozambique. Costs for management of demonstrations were 30% lower for conservation
tillage than conventional tillage. However, yields and net profits under conservation tillage were on average
20 to 30% lower than those under conventional tillage. The poor performance of conservation agriculture was
associated mainly with poor weed control.
The national average production for maize is less than 1 t/ha, and results from the demonstrations showed
that the yields can be increased to 3 t/ha with moderate rates of NPKS fertilizer and hybrid seed. New nutrient
omission trials have been established to derive balanced nutrient requirements and develop site-specific
nutrient management recommendations for variable soil fertility conditions in project sites. The International
Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) and the International Potash Institute (IPI) are also providing financial
support for this project. IPNI-11
Evaluating the Impact of Soil Fertility Heterogeneity on Maize Nutrient Requirement and Productivity in Small-holder
Farming Systems
Project Leader: Regis Chikowo, University of Zimbabwe Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Engineering,
Harare, Zimbabwe. E-mail: rchikowo@agric.uz.ac.zw.
Small-holder farming systems in Sub-Saharan Africa are characterized by large variability in soil fertility
at both farm and landscape levels, leading to variable crop productivity and crop response to additions
of fertilizer. Consequently, large yield gaps arise from soil fertility differences between fields due to a
combination of inherent and management factors. IPNI initiated a coordinated maize project in 2010, and has
been collaborating with the University of Zimbabwe to assess maize production potential and develop sitespecific
nutrient management practices for variable soil fertility conditions in Eastern Zimbabwe. The project
is implementing nutrient omission trials located at multiple sites, to identify which of the macronutrients (N,
P, and/or K) are limiting maize growth, and to determine possible other constraints related to soil secondary
and micronutrients and soil acidity.
Strong effects of nutrient application on maize yield were observed in the first season despite diminished
responses due to long dry spells. The project has established three categories of fields that respond differently
to application of nutrients: (i) degraded soil with less than 0.45% soil organic matter that showed a small
yield response to fertilizer application; (ii) medium fertility fields that showed moderate responses to N, P,
IPNI Interpretive Summaries 61