Browsing by Author "Ronner, Esther"

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    Background information on agronomy, farming systems and ongoing projects on grain legumes in Uganda
    (N2Africa Characterization Uganda, 2012) Ronner, Esther; Giller, Ken E.
    Uganda is a landlocked country in Eastern Africa, lying between latitude 4°12’N and 1°29’S and longitude 29°34’W and 35°0’E. The country occupies 241,038 km² and has a population of about 35 million inhabitants, of which 80% lives in rural areas. Population growth is high, with a rate of 3.4% per annum and an average fertility rate of 6.7 children per woman (NEMA, 2010). The share of agricultural production of total GDP has declined over the past years and growth of the agricultural sector has stagnated. Agriculture still accounts for 85% of export earnings, and 77% of total employment, however (Kabeere and Wulff, 2008). Moreover, agriculture contributes for about 40% to the manufacturing sector through food processing (NEMA, 2010). Especially among women, agriculture is an important sector: nearly 85% of economically active women in Uganda work in the agricultural sector, producing almost 75% of the country’s agricultural output. Per capita income in Uganda is slightly lower than in neighbouring Kenya and Tanzania, and more people live below the poverty line than in Kenya (Table 1). Stunting, wasting and underweight prevalence is comparable to Kenya and Tanzania, but the mortality rate of children under five years old is also relatively high.
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    Manure matters: prospects for regional banana-livestock integration for sustainable intensification in South-West Uganda
    (Taylor & Francis, 2022-09) Braber, Harmen den; van de Ven, Gerrie; Ronner, Esther; Marinus, Wytze; Languillaume, Antoine; Ochola, Dennis; Taulya, Godfrey; Giller, Ken E; Descheemaeker, Katrien
    In South-West Uganda, manure is highly valued for sustaining yields of East African Highland Banana, but it is in short supply. As a result, banana growers import manure from rangelands up to 50 km away. We aimed to explore the potential of this regional banana-livestock integration to meet crop nutrient requirements for sustainable intensification of banana cropping systems. We used a mixed-methods approach supported by detailed data collection. Multiple spatial levels were integrated: field-level modelling to determine long-term nutrient requirements, a household-level survey to characterize farmer practices, and a regional-level spatial analysis to map banana production and manure source areas. For median to 90th percentile banana yields (37-52 t FW/ha/year), minimum K requirements were 118–228 kg/ha/year. To supply this with manure, 10.5–20.5 t DM manure/ha/year would be needed, requiring 47–91 tropical livestock units and 27–52 ha of rangeland, far more than what is potentially available currently. However, using only manure to satisfy potassium requirements increases the risk of N losses due to nutrient imbalances likely to result from large manure applications. For sustainable intensification, manure supplemented with K-based fertilizers is a better option than manure alone, as it is more cost-effective and reduces potential N losses.