International Institute of Tropical Agriculture

Conservation agriculture practices and labor productivity in maize production: Evidence from smallholders in Malawi and Zambia

This study estimates the relationship between adoption of CA practices and labor productivity in maize production among smallholder farmers in Malawi and Zambia, using data from 1,120 randomly sampled households and 4,311 plots. We define CA practice adoption as using minimum til...

Can Organic Amendments Override Environmental Filtering of Soil Microbiomes? Evidence From 20 Years Old Agricultural Field Trials in Contrasting Tropical Sites

ABSTRACT Soil microbial communities underpin ecosystem functions critical for sustainable agriculture, yet our understanding of how long‐term management of tropical agroecosystems shapes these communities remains limited. This is particularly the case in sub‐Saharan Africa where...

From Waste to Wealth: Boosting Productivity in Kenyan Smallholder Farmer Fields with Fluopyram-Treated Banana Fibre

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a key staple crop in Kenya, where plant-parasitic nematodes are among the most damaging yield constraints for smallholder farmers. This study evaluated fluopyram-treated banana fibre paper, a biodegradable carrier for targeted delivery of ultra-low n...