Research output: Contribution in Book/Report/Proceedings - With ISBN/ISSN › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review
Research output: Contribution in Book/Report/Proceedings - With ISBN/ISSN › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review
}
TY - CHAP
T1 - Indigenous soil enrichment for food security and climate change mitigation in Africa and Asia
T2 - a review
AU - Fairhead, James
AU - Fraser, James Angus
AU - Amanor, Kojo
AU - Solomon, Dawit
AU - Lehmann, Johannes
AU - Leach, Melissa;
PY - 2017/11
Y1 - 2017/11
N2 - As alternatives to industrial agriculture such as agroecology and ‘ecological intensification’ gain policy traction there is renewed interest in traditional agro-ecosystems. Despite the relatively extensive literature on indigenous soil knowledge, or “ethnopedology,” – our understanding of associated processes of soil enrichment are limited. This review draws on diverse and sometimes obscure literatures and personal communications with practitioners to fill this knowledge gap. We show that indigenous soil enrichment is much more widespread in Africa and Asia than previously documented. We find that practices fall into two main categories: the cultivation of ruined settlements and the anaerobic charring of biomass and the incorporation of pyrogenic carbon into soil along with other non-pyrogenic organic matter. We conclude that indigenous soil enrichment is an important and hitherto overlooked aspect of traditional agro-ecosystems with significant potential for inclusion in agronomic strategies supporting sustainable development and addressing climate change
AB - As alternatives to industrial agriculture such as agroecology and ‘ecological intensification’ gain policy traction there is renewed interest in traditional agro-ecosystems. Despite the relatively extensive literature on indigenous soil knowledge, or “ethnopedology,” – our understanding of associated processes of soil enrichment are limited. This review draws on diverse and sometimes obscure literatures and personal communications with practitioners to fill this knowledge gap. We show that indigenous soil enrichment is much more widespread in Africa and Asia than previously documented. We find that practices fall into two main categories: the cultivation of ruined settlements and the anaerobic charring of biomass and the incorporation of pyrogenic carbon into soil along with other non-pyrogenic organic matter. We conclude that indigenous soil enrichment is an important and hitherto overlooked aspect of traditional agro-ecosystems with significant potential for inclusion in agronomic strategies supporting sustainable development and addressing climate change
M3 - Chapter (peer-reviewed)
SN - 9781780647050
BT - Indigenous knowledge
A2 - Sillitoe, Paul
PB - CABI
CY - Wallingford
ER -