364 Enabling Policies and Institutions for Sustainable Agricultural and Food Systems
1 One-time soil recapitalization strategy, especially of phosphorous using rock
phosphate.
2 High external-input strategy, based on the use of inorganic fertilizer pack-
ages.
3 Low external-input strategy, based principally on the use of locally available
organic resources.
4 An integrated soil-fertility management strategy, making use of a range of high
and low external-input technologies in combination.
A variety of conditions make any one or combination of such strategies more likely
in any particular setting (Table 19.2). These include agroecological factors (such as
soil type or biomass availability/productivity), household level conditions (such as
labour or cash availability), and broader policy conditions (relating to prices, mar-
kets, credit, infrastructure and extension support).
The diversity of soils, cropping patterns and management practices within a
single farm holding and the dynamic nature of soil-fertility and farming-system
change sets a challenge for researchers and policy makers. Diversity of strategy at
farmer level implies an approach to intervention which is highly localized and
involves farmers in identifying, monitoring and evaluating different interventions
for improving systems for soil-fertility management. This requires a flexible and
responsive policy environment to support processes of technological innovation
and investment in soil-fertility management. Table 19.2 indicates that a number of
policy areas influence the likelihood of adoption of different options for soil-fertility
management. It is to these issues which we now turn.
Impacts of Policy on Farmer Practice
Farmers in all three countries studied have been affected by a range of policy meas-
ures which have influenced crop choice, input use and broader livelihood strate-
gies. Table 19.3 summarizes the range of policy interventions and their impact in
the study areas. Five broad policy areas were identified in the case study research as
having particularly significant impacts on soil-fertility management: structural
adjustment (relating particularly to input–output pricing and marketing); credit;
rural infrastructure; research and extension services; and land and tenure reform
and decentralization. These are discussed in more detail below.
Devaluation and structural adjustment
In each of the three countries, there have been considerable changes in macro-
economic conditions and broader policies, linked most particularly to programmes
of structural adjustment which have shifted substantially the terms of trade and
incentives faced by farmers. However, the timing and nature of changes wrought