Sustainable soil fertility and nutrient management : special considerations for smallholders

![CDATA[The smallholders referred to here have little or no access to irrigation, are highly risk-or loss-averse, focus more on subsistence than profit, and typically use little or no inorganic fertiliser. The" Green Revolution" has largely passed them by, yet they are a foundation of global food systems. The widely-promoted development goal of stable production (land productivity) is attainable only with secure water. For smallholders with variable rainfall and no assured irrigation, high rainfall productivity is ecologically a sounder goal. This requires increased fertiliser-use but results in less stable production and potentially increased risk. Stable livelihoods are required more than stable production. Smallholders who increase fertiliser-use must also learn improved risk management, thus demanding a broad view of research and extension vis-a-vis nutrient management. Adaptation of indigenous methods of soil and water conservation, sometimes in the context of watershed development, is a proven strategy for reducing risk, increasing rainfall productivity, and even allowing intensified production in drought-prone areas, but it succeeds only when combined with improved soil fertility management.]]