Soil nutrient harvesting in indigenousteras water harvesting in eastern Sudan

The indigenous teras water harvesting system offers greater production security, but its major benefit is that it raises the nutrient-limited yield from some 150–250 kg ha−1 to some 650 kg ha−1 through its nutrient harvesting effects. Soil fertility was found to be two to four times higher inside the teras field. Calculated nutrient-limited yields are considerably higher than real yields, which points at other yield-limiting factors such as labour and water availability. The example of the teras system shows that nutrient harvesting may in some cases be a viable alternative to application of mineral fertilizers. This implies that indigenous technologies can be sustainable and should be thoroughly examined before they are complemented by external inputs.