Soil fertility net annual report: for the period 1 October 1999 to 30 September 2000

Abstract

During 2000, the Soil Fertility Research Network for Smallholder Maize-Based Farming Systems in Malawi and Zimbabwe (Soil Fert Net) continued its work. Our funding for the 12 months from October 1999 to September 2000 amounted to US$ 361800. This included new funding for 30% time of an agricultural economist based at CIMMYT-Zimbabwe and additional support for economics and policy work compared with 1998/99. There was a major emphasis on getting the best soil fertility technologies to the farmers through participatory work and wider partnerships, supported by economics and policy awareness. Additionally, we developed a proposal for a further three years of Soil Fert Net. To better reflect the work done, we changed the full name of Soil Fert Net to "Soil Fertility Management and Policy Network for Maize-Based Farming Systems in Southern Africa", effective 1 October 2000. Table 1 gives a summary of the major Network events held during the report period.