Improving small-scale crop production using evidence-based soils agronomy

A rapid and low-cost spectral technique was used to improve farmers’ understanding of their soils, improving maize yields.

Small-scale farming is the main food security contributor in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, owing to current broad agronomic recommendations, which are largely unvalidated, this subsistence farming is not meeting its role in reducing current yield gaps.

As a result, there is a growing demand for high-precision information on soil conditions and agronomic performance to guide investment decisions on the use of agro-inputs and other land-management interventions.