Rock Fertilizers as an Alternative to Conventional Fertilizers: The Use of Basalt from the Cameroon Volcanic Line for Maize Farming on Ferralitic Soils

Cameroon is the breadbasket of Central Africa and the three main agricultural production basins are the Foumbot, Mbo, and Tombel plains, which are covered by recent basaltic rocks. In these areas, the intensive agriculture farming zones (tomatoes, banana, coffee, rubber, palm tree, and papaya) are located in the volcanic plains. Basalts in these areas are likely to be used for fertilization of lateritic soils that occupy most of the country. This can provide small farmers with fertilizer at low cost and provide longterm soil fertility, whose direct bene‹ts include increased agricultural productivity, environmental protection, and saving the country the costs of imported chemical fertilizers.