Macro Trends and Determinates of Fertilizer Use in Sub-Saharan Africa
February 1, 1999 - Anwar Naseem and Valerie Kelly
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EmailIDWP 73. Anwar Naseem and Valerie Kelly. 1999. 31pp. Macro Trends and Determinates of Fertilizer Use in Sub-Saharan Africa
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
To reverse the declining trends in soil fertility levels in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA),
the use of fertilizers and other land augmenting technologies needs to increase. While overall
fertilizer consumption in SSA has increased by as much as 200% from 1970 levels, the growth has
been highly variable across countries, regions and time. Fertilizer use is significantly lower than
that observed in other parts of the developing world, especially Asia, where fertilizer (along with
other productivity enhancing technologies) has been credited with the large increases in yields.
Moreover data for the 1990s suggests that overall fertilizer consumption in SSA has been
declining.
Designing appropriate policies and interventions to stimulate fertilizer demand and supply, calls
for a good understanding of past trends and factors that have been associated with changes in
use. In this paper our objective is to seek a better understanding of the dynamics of fertilizer use,
specifically with regards to:
- the trends in fertilizer consumption at the continental, regional and country level.
- the factors associated with changes in fertilizer use.