Our Latest Growing Africa Issue: carbon finance, 4R fertilization, on-farm innovation, and celebrating research excellence

The most recent issue of Growing Africa offers a mix of research stories, informational forums, and year-end news updates. Naturally, the last issue of the year offers us an opportunity to celebrate the winners of our annual photo contest, as well as this year’s cohort of 17 Excel Africa Award recipients. Note that we have also posted the details for our 2025 calendar for award application calls. The first on the schedule is our Scholar award that starts up this March.

Our lead story, Harnessing Carbon Finance to Elevate Smallholder Success in Uganda’s Coffee Sector,originates from a collaborative project (Uganda Carbon Coffee Project -UCCP) exploring how a climate financing mechanism is creating win-win opportunities for over 3,000 farmers and their community through agroforestry and sustainability practices.

A follow-up Q&A discussion with UCCP project partner Producers Direct provides additional insight into how Uganda’s coffee growers are leveraging carbon markets to diversify and boost their incomes.

Still about coffee, we present this case study comparing historical influences and outcomes for sustainable intensification of robusta coffee in Uganda, Cote d'Ivoire and Vietnam.

The article titled Optimizing Split-Fertilizer Applications for Maize in Nigeria’s Mid-Belt learn howresearchers explored the effectiveness of novel fertilizer source x timing combinations. Their efforts demonstrate how the process of tailoring fertilizer application to local conditions is clearly needed on a wide scale to transform maize yields and improve food security for many African communities.

Finally, we'll highlight the story on Adaptation of a Conventional Seeder into a No-tillage Seeder: A case study of Al Moutmir-UM6P sustainable agriculture mechanization initiative. It's a terrific example of the support of farmer ingenuity in adapting existing equipment can inspire new possibilities ...in this case large scale adoption of conservation agriculture in Morocco.

We hope this issue inspires you to reflect on the role of innovation and collaboration in tackling global agricultural challenges. We strive to highlight the resilience and creativity of farmers, scientists and policymakers committed to enhanced plant nutrition and soil health in Africa.

We encourage submissions and you are most welcome to reach out to us if you know of a similar story! Our author's guide is available at https://growingafrica.pub and you can contact us directly at [email protected]

Happy Reading!