Review of interventions and technologies for sustainable intensification of smallholder crop production in sub-humid sub-Saharan Africa

In November 2011, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs allocated specific funding to the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) for work to support global food security. The allocation was made with the long-term aim to reduce hunger and malnutrition by supporting improvement of agricultural productivity. As part of this a review of the knowledge base was made in the field of sustainable intensification of crop production on smallholder farms, and reported in this working paper. The main focus is soil fertility and plant nutrition, as these are frequently highlighted as a major constraint to crop productivity in sub-Saharan Africa, but the paper also includes a range of agronomic interventions and technologies needed for crops to take advantage of increased nutrient supply. Finally, the paper also includes scenarios of increased production intensity and current practices in production systems of central Mozambique, and assesses their long-term effects on crop productivity and soil fertility.