The Marginal Soils of Africa

Rethinking Uses, Management and Reclamation

Author: Adornis Dakarai Nciizah, Ashira Roopnarain, Busiswa Ndaba and Mashapa Elvis Malobane

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Summary

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This book addressed the pressing challenges of climate change, land scarcity, and food security, offering a comprehensive synthesis of research on using, managing, and reclaiming marginal lands in Africa. Unfavourable climatic conditions and rapid population growth intensify competition for land, putting pressure on traditional agricultural soils thus necessitating a transition towards underutilized marginal lands. Reclaiming these damaged and undervalued areas through various technologies presents a promising path not only to food independence but also to second-generation biofuel feedstock production, utilizing excess biomass from these revived lands. While recent years have seen increased focus on restoring degraded lands, a crucial gap remains i.e. a unified knowledge base detailing the efficacy of various reclamation technologies. This book fills that void, empowering farmers and policymakers with the insights they need to make informed decisions, mobilize resources effectively, and ultimately help Africa meet its projected 60% food demand increase.

About the Author

Adornis Dakarai Nciizah holds a PhD in Crop Science. His current research work focuses on, soil surface structural conditions and properties affecting early crop growth, climate-smart agriculture, sustainable bio-energy feedstock production on marginal soils, and sustainable agricultural production in smallholder farming areas. He has authored numerous scientific papers and reviews on agronomy and soil science and supervised several postgraduate students.

Ashira Roopnarain holds a PhD in Microbiology and Biotechnology. Her current research focus includes renewable energy generation from organic waste streams, adoption of nanotechnology for improved energy production and agricultural optimisation, precision agriculture and contaminants of emerging concern in waterways. She has authored several scientific articles and book chapters and has supervised both MSc and PhD students.

Busiswa Ndaba holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering. Her current research is on the formulation of nanomaterials that can be futher used as nanofertilizers for crop production as well as optimization of biofuel production using both microbial and nanotechnology techniques. She has published her work in the form of articles and book chapters and has been invited as a reviewer for several publications. She also has postgraduate students (MSc and PhD) under her tutelage.

Mashapa Elvis Malobane holds Ph.D. Agric. in soil science. His area of research interest includes agronomy, rehabilitation of marginal lands, application of X-ray computed tomography in soil physics, sustainable production of bioenergy crops, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and environmental soil science. He has authored numerous scientific papers, book chapters, examined several postgraduate theses and supervised a number of postgraduate students.