Category: Forum

Robusta Coffee Value Intensification: The Case for Good Agronomy
Optimizing value per harvested area should be a common goal but a host of factors can prevent it. At the farm-level, coffee farmers are limited by their available resources, knowledge at hand, and suitability/predictability of their growing environment.

2024 Annual Photo Contest Results
Once again, it’s our pleasure to be able to announce the results of our annual photo contest! We are pleased to see the continued interest in this forum with submissions coming in from across the Continent. The contest organizers are grateful for your participation.

Share your Snapshots: A New On-farm Experimentation Season Begins
Caroline Wawira (left) and Lucy Kinya (right) are applying diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilizer with calibrated dollop cups to ensure the right pre-plant fertilizer application rate is provided to give their maize crop the best start.

Ask an APNI Expert: Can we estimate the fertility status of soil without knowing the plant nutrient status?
In short, the answer is yes, you can estimate the fertility status of soil without knowing the plant nutrient status. Traditionally this can be done through soil analysis, which provides an index of the plant availability of soil nutrients through a standardized test from a lab. Other soil tests can assess properties such as soil pH, cation exchange capacity, and organic matter content, which all contribute to the soil’s potential to supply the right balance of nutrients at rates that meet the demands of a productive crop.

Ask An APNI Expert: Precision Ag Models
Many people assume that PA is going to involve technology – sensors, satellites, computers, etc., but according to the definition, PA is about variability – how to measure it and how to manage it. Technology gives us tools to do this but developing a model for PA doesn’t depend on it.