Poverty in Sub Sahara Africa is largely a rural phenomenon as 85% of the poor reside in rural areas. Agriculture will remain the principal economic sector upon which the rural population depends for their livelihoods and one of the most alarming aspects of rural poverty is the lack of food security. Low agricultural production results in low income, poor nutrition, low consumption, poor education, poor health, vulnerability to risks, and lack of empowerment. The rural poor cannot expand land holdings due to high population growth and the indigenous land tenure system. The population is thus trapped in a vicious poverty cycle between land degradation, and the lack of resources or knowledge to generate adequate income and opportunities to overcome this degradation. Intensification of agricultural production is required to meet the food and income needs of the poor, and this cannot occur without specific investment in soil fertility which has been one of the most pressing problems of African agriculture.
Publication year
2010
Language
English
Keywords
biological nitrogen fixation, flemingia congesta, gliricidia sepium, hedgerow plants, indonesia, peltophorum dasyrrachi
