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Abstract
Acidity is among the problems that affect crop production in Zambia.
The problem is no longer restricted to the traditional agro-ecological
region III but has now become widespread in all parts of Zambia. The
problem is exacerbated by continuous use of chemical fertilizers and
mono cropping. More than 700,000 small scale farmers are troubled by
acid soils. The only available and most common way of preventing and
ameliorating the problem is through use of lime in the fields. At the
recommended rates of about 2 tons, small scale farmers cannot afford.
Using data from on-station and demonstration plots carried out by
Golden Valley Agricultural Research Trust (GART) and Conservation
Farming Unit (CFU), the study determines the yield and financial
gains smallholder farmers can achieve if lime was precisely applied
at reduced rates in the agro-ecological zones I and II. The results from
the marginal analysis show that at reduced rates, lime use is profitable
in maize at Batoka research station and in soybeans and groundnuts
at Chisamba GART research station. Compost and lime synergy in
groundnuts at Chisamba GART research station was profitable with
marginal returns of over 150%. Lime could therefore be recommended
for use even at reduced rates as the yields are on average higher than
where it is not used and the returns were positive.