“God Made the Soil, but We Made It Fertile”: Gender, Knowledge, and Practice in the Formation and Use of African Dark Earths in Liberia and Sierra Leone

Frausin, Victoria; Fraser, James A.; Narmah, Woulay; Lahai, Morrison K.; Winnebah, Thomas R. A.; Fairhead, James; Leach, Melissa

doi:10.1007/s10745-014-9686-0

Cited by 51 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 34 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Recently, Frausin et al (2014) revealed the presence of so-called African Dark Earth at more than 134 locations in several West-African countries including Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Ghana. This Terra Preta-like African Anthrosol is preferably located in the vicinity of towns and mainly is the product of women doing appropriate management of wastes from housing and farming (ibid.).…”

Section: Terra Preta Practices (Tpp) -Using Biochar As a Soil Amendmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrient recycling from sanitation and energy systems to the agroecosystem- Ecological research on case studies in Karagwe, Tanzania

Krause¹,

Kaupenjohann²,

George³

et al. 2015

Afr. J. Agric. Res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Open cycles of organic carbon and nutrients cause soil degradation. Procedures such as ecological sanitation (EcoSan), bioenergy and Terra Preta practice (TPP) can contribute to closing nutrient cycles and may, in addition, sequester carbon. This paper introduces three projects in Karagwe, Tanzania, and their applied approach of integrated resource management to capture carbon and nutrients from different waste flows. Substrates derived from these case studies, biogas slurry, compost and CaSacompost (containing biochar and sanitized human excreta), were assessed for their nutrient content by analysis of the total element composition. Evaluation focused on potential impacts of the tested amendments on the nutrient availability in the soil as well as on the local soil nutrient balance. Results revealed that all substrates show appropriate fertilizing potential compared to literature, especially for phosphorus (P). CaSa-compost was outstanding, with a total P concentration of 1.7 g dm -3 compared to 0.5 and 0.3 g dm -3 in compost and biogas slurry respectively. Furthermore, these soil amendments may reduce acidity of the soil, with a calculated liming effect of 3.4, 2.6 and 7.8 kg CaO for each kg of nitrogen added for biogas slurry, compost and CaSa-compost respectively. To offset negative P balances in Karagwe, about 8100, 6000 and 1600 dm 3 ha -1 are required for biogas slurry, compost and CaSa-compost respectively. We conclude that especially CaSa-compost might offer immediate positive effects to crop production and nutrient availability in the soil.

show abstract

Section: Terra Preta Practices (Tpp) -Using Biochar As a Soil Amendmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrient recycling from sanitation and energy systems to the agroecosystem- Ecological research on case studies in Karagwe, Tanzania

Krause¹,

Kaupenjohann²,

George³

et al. 2015

Afr. J. Agric. Res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Archaeological remains indicate some intensively cultivated areas, including anthropogenic soil creation in Africa and Amazonia (18), and more commonly, extensively cultivated areas associated with ancient empires (Maya, Khmer), forest kingdoms (West Africa), concentrated resources (Southern Amazonia near rivers (17)), and technological innovation (western Congo basin, 2,500-1,400 BP (19)). These were always a small fraction of total forest area.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing human dominance of tropical forests

Lewis

Edwards

Galbraith

2015

Science

658

428

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Studies have described this interaction in terms of women's participation in subsistence farming, their Indigenous farming knowledge and methods that contribute to environmental conservation, and other studies also examine women's engagement in their daily activities that constitute efforts towards conservation. In a study on Gender, Knowledge and Practice in the formation and use of African Dark Earth (AfDE), it was found that women in Liberia and Sierra Leon, through their daily activities such as cooking and cleaning, add organic matter such as ash, potash and left over food and stalk onto the soil to form African Dark Earth (Frausin et al, 2014). This soil enrichment method which is solely based on traditional knowledge is said to improve soil quality as evident in the better crop yield from that soil in comparison to other fields.…”

Section: Women As Environmental Custodians: a Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Underscoring the role of Nigerian rural women in environmental protection: Lessons from Makarfi in Kaduna State, Nigeria

Oloko¹,

Mamman²,

Ekpo³

2017

Afr. J. Environ. Sci. Technol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Despite the role that rural women in Nigeria play in protecting the environment, not many studies acknowledge their contributions. As part of efforts to highlight women's contributions, this study interviewed 60 women between the ages of 20 to 60 on how important the environment is to their livelihood and how they protect it. Fifty percent (50%) of the women identified as farmers, forty percent (40%) as traders, three percent (3%) as housewives and seven percent (7%) identified as public servants. The participants reported that their activity under those capacities makes them interact closely with the environment; at different levels though. As part of efforts to protect their environment, these women engage in activities such as tree planting, manure application, sustainable harvesting and environmental sanitation as ways to give back to the environment. In their bid to protect their environment, the women face challenges such as poverty, cultural barriers, and the lack of government support. Policy makers are called upon to acknowledge the role of rural women in protecting the environment and include them in programmes surrounding conservation, disaster management, awareness campaign and rural development.

show abstract

“God Made the Soil, but We Made It Fertile”: Gender, Knowledge, and Practice in the Formation and Use of African Dark Earths in Liberia and Sierra Leone

Cited by 51 publications

References 34 publications

Nutrient recycling from sanitation and energy systems to the agroecosystem- Ecological research on case studies in Karagwe, Tanzania

Nutrient recycling from sanitation and energy systems to the agroecosystem- Ecological research on case studies in Karagwe, Tanzania

Increasing human dominance of tropical forests

Underscoring the role of Nigerian rural women in environmental protection: Lessons from Makarfi in Kaduna State, Nigeria

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About