A recent World Agroforestry blog post by Mike McGahuey, a natural resources management advisor,  addresses questions raised by the recent 'African agriculture: Dirt Poor' Nature Magazine article. He says "the question is not, "should farmers use inorganic or organic fertilizer?" but rather, "How can farmers increase soil organic matter in a cost-effective way in order to recycle nutrients, increase fertilizer-use efficiency and establish the foundation for building and sustaining soil productivity in Africa?"

Interestingly, many agricultural developmental agencies either support the idea of farmers using more inorganic fertilizer or very little or in some cases, none at all. Moreover, while some scientific findings support the use of inorganic fertilizer by farmers, others seem to refute the claim.

Like Mike McGahuey, some commentators have been suggesting that a detailed review of the scientific literature from many institutions including the World Agroforestry Centre support a strong synergy between inorganic fertilizers and soil organic matter. Mike adds that "the literature shows the two can work symbiotically to produce and sustain more productive soils, particularly for resource poor smallholders."

Read the full post at Agroforestry World Blog.

Access the recent Nature article titled "African Agriculture: Dirt Poor".