Crop Mix, Not Subsidies, Determines Fertilizer Use

Most Sub-Saharan African countries have reduced or eliminated fertilizer subsidies as part of the economic reform process that began in the early 1980s. Subsidy removal and currency devaluation have contributed to higher fertilizer prices. Trends in fertilizer use, however, vary by country. Benin’s farmers have increased their use of fertilizer tenfold since 1982, while Malawi’s farmers have increased use by just 30 percent during the same period. To explain these different responses to market reform, Markets and Structural Studies Division (MSSD) researchers Nicholas Minot, Mylène Kherallah, and Philippe Berry joined local counterparts to survey 800 farm households in Malawi and 900 farm households in Benin. They found that fertilizer use is closely related to crop mix.