Ending hunger by 2030 is one of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN. This is a huge challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, where one third of all households are still exposed to food insecurity. To meet the demand of the rapidly growing African population, there is widespread consensus that farmers need to boost cereal crop yields.
Crop yields in the region are severely limited by depleted soils, following decades of relentless cropping with insufficient fertilisation. This is because African farmers struggle to access affordable mineral fertilisers, while a lack of biomass also places organic fertilisers out of reach.
