Managing Manure to Sustain Smallholder Livelihoods in the East African Highlands
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DFID - Department For International Development ;
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One consequence of decreasing size of land holdings in the Central Kenya Highlands is a shift from extensive to more intensive mixed crop/livestock farming systems including acquisition of external inputs to feed livestock and replenish soil nutrients. Inorganic fertilisers are too expensive for most smallholders. The scope of this study was to evaluate manure management options that could best conserve nutrients and improve manure quality. Livestock make an important contribution to the susta inability of intensive smallholder farming through their contribution to soil fertility. This research has shown that increases in crop yields on smallholder farms in the Central Kenya Highlands, gained from simple techniques for better care of manure during collection and storage, can be substantial and enduring.