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4R Nutrient Stewardship in Action

Photos from the field in Ghana — right source, right rate, right time, right place.

Trial plots & evidence

Side-by-side comparisons that let farmers see the difference 4R practices make on their own soil.

Drone view of 4R nutrient trial plots side-by-side with control plots
Aerial view of our 4R nutrient stewardship trial plots, showing how different treatments produce visibly different results.
Drone view of a multi-treatment groundnut trial plot
A groundnut omission trial — each strip receives a different nutrient combination so researchers can measure which nutrients are limiting yield.
Aerial view of a 4R trial plot with clear treatment boundaries
The 4R approach in action: every plot, every row, every boundary is deliberate.
Drone view of 4R trial plots with farmers gathered on the road below
Researchers and farmers walk the trial plots together during a field day.
Signboard reading "4R SOLUTIONS PROJECT — MAIZE NUTRIENT OMISSION TRIAL — PLOT 1"
Every trial plot is labeled: site, treatment, variety, planting date. Science is only credible when it is reproducible.

Application — right place, right time

Precise placement and timing of nutrients to match crop uptake and minimise losses.

Researcher applying fertilizer at the base of a maize plant
Right place: fertilizer placed directly at the plant base, where roots can absorb it, rather than broadcast across the field.
Line of women hand-seeding in rows in a prepared field
Planting in rows — spacing, depth, and timing are all part of the 4R approach.
Farmers laying out planting lines with a measuring tape
Measuring before planting. Precision starts on the ground.

Fertilizer — right source, right rate

Choosing the right product, at the right rate, for the crop and soil conditions in front of you.

A hand holding a red bottle cap filled with compound NPK fertilizer pellets
Right rate: the correct dose per plant, measured precisely, can transform a season's yield.
Healthy maize stand in a plot treated with full NPK fertilizer
A full-NPK plot at tasseling. Compare to the control rows in the next image.

People — farmers, extension & training

The farmers, extension agents, and trainers who make 4R practical in the field.

Extension agent and farmers examining freshly harvested groundnut plants
Extension agents and farmers examining a freshly harvested groundnut plot together.
Drone view of farmers encircling a demonstration plot at a field day
A field day in Ghana: farmers encircle a trial plot to hear the results.
Group photo of farmers with hands raised at a 4R Solutions field day
A 4R Solutions field day.
Group portrait of women farmers participating in the 4R Solutions project
Women farmers are at the center of the 4R Solutions project.
Extension agent leading a group discussion with farmers beside a field
Extension agents are the bridge between research and the farm.
Instructor presenting an "Essential Plant Nutrients" slide in a classroom
Classroom training on essential plant nutrients — the same curriculum that powers the APNI 4R Learning Hub.

Outcomes — the harvest

What 4R looks like at harvest time: healthier crops, better yields, and profitable farms.

Top-down view of two buckets of harvested groundnuts for yield comparison
Yield comparison: same area, different treatments. The difference in weight is the difference that 4R makes.
Organized piles of harvested groundnuts drying at a Farmers Co-operative Grains Warehouse
Post-harvest drying at the Farmers Co-operative Grains Warehouse, Ghana Grains Council.