Agricultural productivity on the African continent,
particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), ranks among
the lowest globally (Bjornlund et al., 2020). One
contributing factor is the extensive degradation of soils
in many regions (Jones et al., 2013; Nkonya et al., 2016).
Consequently, there is a high demand for nutrient
sources and measures to halt soil degradation and
improve soil health, aiming to enhance agricultural
production. While one option is to increase the use of
inorganic fertilisers, this alone would only address part
of the problem. The remediation of soil degradation
also hinges on an elevated application of organic matter
and the reduction of soil acidity, amongst others. Even
if inorganic fertilisers would be available, affordable
and used more widely, factors such as low soil organic
matter content, micronutrient deficiencies and/or high
soil acidity hinder the effectiveness of such fertilisers.
Therefore, on-farm solutions to enhance organic
matter content and increase soil nutrient availability,
e.g. through good agronomic practices, are necessary
conditions to improve soil health and crop yield.