**Author details**

ity is high enough to cause significant impact on cash demand of farmers during the farm‐

Manual planting by hand, using stick or cutlass on fields with mulch is more difficult and time wasting than using the same tools to plant on bare or conventionally ploughed fields. It is important to impact basic knowledge in handling of equipment like spray machines for herbicides or application of other chemicals to farmers. Farmers' yields can be enhanced if they are assisted in decision making on appropriate crops to be grown, rotations, record

Following the observations and findings from our experiences on soil fertility management for crop production, the following recommendations are made for further observation and

Depending on the availability of ready market, emphasis on cereal-legume rotations/inter‐ cropping for CA should involve multipurpose grain and fodder legumes. The production of fodder in the system will take care of the livestock component since on the average every

Training farmers on aspects of CA and introducing to them simple and appropriate CA equipment and implements will significantly enhance labour productivity and encourage many more farmers to adopt CA and other related soil fertility improvement practices.

In order for the Donor-led projects to build a good number of success stories on the various soil fertility management practices including CA, the knowledge and experience acquired over the past years should be harnessed, repackaged and used. In this way, they will be able to convince the government on the benefits, of CA and its potential to resolve food security problems and promote a sustainable source of livelihood for rural small-scale farmers.

The promotion of most of these practices of CA should go beyond the small scale farmer since there are emerging medium scale farmers who can help broaden the scope of the pro‐ gramme. This can be done through adaptive research targeting different groups of farmers

The first step in promoting CA effectively is to consider National institutions and farmers' groups to be the driving forces of CA in the country. These groups can re-package and prop‐

Messages developed for extension services should be specific for the occasion and not blan‐ ket for all issues as it is now. This will assist the farmers to be able to assess their constraints and be able to opt for suitable practices that can maintain and improve soil fertility for sus‐

Both farmers and extension officers need to understand the processes through which the soil fertility can be maintained for extension to enable farmers to adopt if the practices are im‐ ported from other regions and not for adaptation alone. This is important because if the en‐ vironmental factors of the place the practice is imported from are the same with the local

in the different environments and socio-economic settings.

environment, but the socio-economic setting may be different.

erly lobby the policy regularly for support.

tainable crop production.

farm family rears animals alongside crop production in the Savanna zone of Ghana.

ing season.

28 Soil Fertility

consideration:

keeping and costing of each operations.

James M. Kombiok1 , Samuel Saaka J. Buah2 and Jean M. Sogbedji3

\*Address all correspondence to: kombiokjm@yahoo.com

1 Savanna Agricultural Research Institute, Tamale, Ghana

2 Savanna Agricultural Research Institute, Wa Station, Wa, Ghana

3 IFDC, Rue Soloyo, Lome, Togo
