Agricultural production and soil nutrient mining in africa: implications for resource conservation and policy development

Agricultural development is vital to Africa’s economic growth, food security, and poverty alleviation. However, this paper reveals the severe extent of soil nutrient extraction by agriculture, and finds that unless these trends are reversed, African countries will struggle to produce enough food to feed their growing populations.Monitoring the results of nutrient mining in agricultural lands of key agro-ecological regions and countries of Africa, the authors find that soil nutrient losses are highly variable according to region. Moderate rates of depletion were found in the humid forests and wetlands of southern Central Africa and Sudan, whereas the sub-humid savannas of West Africa and the highlands and sub-humid areas of East Africa experience higher rates of nutrient mining. The authors estimate that nutrient depletion is highest in Guinea, Congo, Angola, Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda. Fertiliser use is particularly low in these countries, and the high nutrient losses are mainly the result of soil erosion and leaching.In response to the findings, it is concluded that policies and investment strategies to reverse soil nutrient mining should designed and implemented nationally, but always in the context of a comprehensive policy approach to economic development. Key findings and recommendations on policy development for mitigating nutrient mining and are:well-designed policy measures and investment strategies are needed that target specific agricultural areas where soil nutrient mining is extensively occurring, through the judicious use of fertilisers and good soil fertility management practicesmeasures and investments that promote fertilizer use and soil conservation practices should be a national prioritystrategies must be tailored to overcome the constraints and circumstances prevailing in target area. Then, ex-ante assessments of alternative policy strategies can be conducted to select policy and investment strategies with the highest probabilities of success in terms of impact, benefits, and costsresults of ex-ante assessments can also be useful to estimate total costs and expected cost/benefit ratios on those expendituresstrategies must include details about geographic coverage, the expected sequence of interventions, and the modus operandi to be used in the implementation of policy measures. Accordingly, national policy and investment strategies to reverse soil nutrient mining can be involved and demanding.Specific types of policy approaches and strategies that are available to help reverse African soil nutrient depletion are detailed in the paper. They include broad-scope development policies, land tenure policy, policies to improve agricultural input supply efficiency, policies for stabilising crop prices and increasing demand, and social support programmes for poverty alleviation and public health.