Initiatives like our Fertilizer Deep Placement and Microdosing
(FDP MD) project are teaching farmers to use farm inputs
responsibly, by promoting new technologies (FDP and MD)
that increase nutrient uptake and result in higher yields per
kilogram of fertilizer used. Malian smallholders applied these
approaches on more than 175,000 hectares (ha) of farmland
in 2016.
IFDC’s 2SCALE project increases producer access to
processing and storage technologies that reduce post-harvest
losses, links its partner farmers to buyers to sell their produce,
and empowers farmers to integrate into competitive value
chains. From sorghum to soybeans, onions to oranges, post-
harvest losses are reducing by 15 percent or more across the
board – ensuring that boosted yields do not languish in fields
but become nutritious food for national
and international consumers.
IFDC recognizes that appropriate fertilizer use is critical for
sustainable intensified agriculture production that provides
for food security with minimal environmental impact. Our
Fertilizer Research Program evaluated balanced plant
nutrition including the use of micronutrients to enhance
nitrogen nutrient use efficiency in sorghum. Greenhouse trials
focused on zinc (Zn), a key nutrient for plant and human
health. These trials also demonstrated Zn to aid in plant
resilience to climactic stressors such as drought.
In a separate study in 2016, IFDC collected more than 2,000
georeferenced soil samples and more than 1,000 plant tissue
samples from the Feed the Future zone of influence in
northern Ghana. By evaluating these samples, IFDC identifies
nutrient deficiencies in soils and is producing soil fertility
maps to enable site-specific fertilizer recommendations for
reducing improper fertilizer use and assuring balanced
plant nutrition.
Knowing the improper use of fertilizer products can contribute
to climate change and its impacts, IFDC puts a top priority on
providing farmers with tools and training to properly apply
fertilizers to their fields. Additionally, IFDC promotes farmer-
accessible climate-smart technologies in its field projects.
In Bangladesh, for example, IFDC’s Accelerating Agriculture
Productivity Improvement (AAPI) project promoted UDP,
a climate-smart fertilizer technology. More than 2 million
farmers have adopted the technology, which reduces urea
use by more than 30 percent while increasing rice yields by
15 percent. The improved efficiency results in a 60-80 percent
decrease in nitrous oxide emissions.
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