The overall objective is to develop integrated soil, water and nutrient management practices to increase and sustain productivity of tropical acid soils. The specific objective is to improve agricultural production of tropical acid soils through the use of adapted plant genotypes, the amelioration of soil acidity and infertility, and better soil, water, nutrient and crop management.
A Consultants' Meeting held in Vienna in March 1999 recommended that a CRP to improve sustainable crop
production systems on tropical acid soils with focus on the savannah ecosystem in the humid and sub-humid tropics of Africa and Latin America be initiated. This CRP started
implementation at the end of 1999 with the selection of the participants (contract and agreement holders) and the first RCM was held in Vienna in June 2000. Currently seven research
contract holders: P. Houngnandan (Benin), S. Urquiaga (Brazil), T. Muraoka (Brazil), V. Bado (Burkina Faso), A. García (Cuba), J.J. Peña-Cabriales (Mexico), and M. Lopez
(Venezuela); three technical contract holders: W. Horst (Germany), S.H. Chien and Upendra Singh (IFDC-USA), and two agreement holders: B. Vanlauwe (TSBF/CIAT-Kenya), and
J. Diels (IITA, Nigeria) are participating. Guidelines and research protocols are available in the report of the first RCM. The second RCM was held in March 2002 in Brasilia, Brazil. Local
organizer was Dr. Segundo Urquiaga, EMBRAPA-Agrobiologia. The mid-term review of the project was undertaken immediately afterwards, and the CRP was approved for its full 5-year term.
The third RCM was held from 19-23 August 2003 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Local organizer was Dr. Vincent B. Bado, INERA. The participants presented their progress reports
covering the period 2002-2003. Overall progress made in implementing the project was reviewed in accordance with the expected outputs and project objectives. The participants prepared
updated plans for completion of the CRP. Recommendations for future research work in tropical acid soils were also made. Details on the meeting are available on the report of the third
RCM. The fourth and final RCM of the project was held from 15-19 November 2004, Vienna, Austria. The participants presented the results of their research obtained during the duration
of the project and evaluated the overall implementation of the project according to the logframe of the project. An IAEA TECDOC containing relevant research data from the participants
will be produced next year.
