Regis Chikowo, Ph.D.

Regis Chikowo

Contact Me

Email:

Degrees:
B.S. and MPhil, The University of Zimbabwe
Ph.D. The Wageningen University

Research Interests

  • Nutrient cycling on smallholder farms in Africa – designing cropping sequences to align with farm socio-economic circumstances (legume –cereal sequences, intercropping, integrated soil fertility management)
  • Investigations on soil- water interactions through low cost practices that have potential for adoption by risk averse small farms in Africa
  • Soil organic carbon dynamics and cereal productivity along soil fertility gradients/toposequence
  • Africa Rising project 

Publications

See all publications on Google Scholar

  1. Mapfumo P, Mtambanengwe F, Chikowo R, 2015. Building on indigenous knowledge to strengthen the capacity of smallholder farming communities to adapt to climate change and variability in southern Africa. Climate and Development DOI: 10.1080/17565529.2014.998604
  2. Kurwakumire N, Chikowo R, Zingore S, Mtambanengwe F, Mapfumo, P, Snapp S, Johnston A. 2015. Nutrient Management Strategies on Heterogeneously Fertile Granitic-derived Soils in Sub-humid Zimbabwe. Agronomy Journal. 10.2134/agronj14.0466
  3. Chikowo, R., Zingore, S. Snapp S, Johnston A, 2014. Farm typologies, soil fertility variability and nutrient management in smallholder farming in Sub-Saharan Africa. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems DOI: 10.1007/s10705-014-9632-y.
  4. Kurwakumire N, Chikowo, R., Mtambanengwe, F., Mapfumo, P., Snapp, S., Johnston, A., Zingore, S. 2014. Maize productivity and nutrient and water use efficiencies across soil fertility domains on smallholder farms in Zimbabwe. Field Crops Research 164:136-147.  Read less
  5. Zingore S, Njoroge S, Chikowo R, Kihara J, Nziguheba G, Nyamangara J 2014. 4R Plant Nutrient management in Africa Agriculture. An extension handbook for fertilizer management in smallholder farming systems. International Plant Nutrition Institute, 94 pages.
  6. Rurinda J, Mapfumo P, van Wilk MT., Mtambanengwe F, Rufino MC, Chikowo R, Giller KE. 2014. Sources of vulnerability to a variable and changing climate among smallholder households in Zimbabwe: A participatory analysis. Climate Risk Management 3:65-78
  7. Nezomba H, Mtambanengwe F, Chikowo R, Mapfumo P, 2014. Sequencing integrated soil fertility management options for sustainable crop intensification by different categories of smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe. Experimental Agriculture. DOI:10.1017/S0014479714000131
  8. Rurinda J, Mapfumo P, van Wilk MT., Mtambanengwe F, Rufino MC, Chikowo R, Giller KE. 2014. Comparative assessment of maize, finger millet and sorghum for household food security in the face of increasing climatic risk. European Journal of Agronomy; 55:29–41.
  9. Gwandu T, Mtambanengwe F., Mapfumo P, Mashavave TC, Chikowo R, Nezomba H 2014. Factors influencing access to integrated soil fertility management information and knowledge and its uptake among smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe. Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension 20: 79-93
  10. Mapfumo P, Adjei-Nsiah S, Mtambanengwe F, Chikowo R, Giller KE 2013. Participatory action research (PAR) as an entry point for supporting climate change adaptation by smallholder farmers in Africa. Environmental Development. 5: 5-22.
  11. Rurinda J, Mapfumo P, van Wilk MT., Mtambanengwe F, Rufino MC, Chikowo R, Giller KE. 2013. Managing soil fertility to adapt to rainfall variability in smallholder cropping systems in Zimbabwe. Field Crops Research 154: 211-225.
  12. Chikowo R, Zingore S, Nyamangara J, Bekunda M, Messina J, Snapp S 2015. Approaches to reinforce crop productivity under water-limited conditions in sub-humid environments in Africa. In Sustainable Intensification to advance Food Security and Enhance Climate Resilience in Africa (Lal R, Mwase D, Hansen D, Eds). Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-09360-4_12.
  13. Messina J, Adhikari U, Carrol J, Chikowo R, DeVisser M, Dodge L, Fan P, Langley S, Lin S, Me-nsope N, Moore N, Murray S, Nawyn S, Nejadhashemi A, Olson J, Smith A, Snapp S. 2013. Population growth, climate change and pressure on land. Global Center for Food Systems Innovation – Whitepaper Series. 95 pp.
  14. Nyamangara J, Chikowo R, Rusinamhodzi L, Mazvimavi K. 2013. Conservation agriculture in southern Africa. In: RA Jat, KL Sahrawat, AH Kassam (Eds.) Conservation agriculture: Global prospects and challenges. CABI, Wallingford, U.K. pp 339-351.
  15. Manzeke G, Mapfumo P, Mtambanengwe F, Chikowo R, Tendayi T, Cakmak I, 2012.  Maize productivity and grain zinc nutritional value as affected by different soil fertility management practices in smallholder farming systems of Zimbabwe. Plant and Soil 361: 57-69.
  16. Nyamadzawo G, Nyamugafata P, Wuta M, Nyamangara J, Chikowo R, 2012. Infiltration and runoff losses under fallowing and conservation agriculture practices on contrasting soils from Zimbabwe. Water SA 38(2): 233-240.
  17. Mtambanengwe F, Mapfumo P, Chikowo R, Chamboko T 2012. Climate change and variability: smallholder farming communities in Zimbabwe portray varied understanding. African Crop Science Journal 20: 259-273.
  18. Giller K.E., Tittonell P., Rufino M.C., Wijk M.T., Zingore S., Mapfumo P., Adjei-Nsiah S., Herrero M., Chikowo R., Corbeels M., Rowe E.C., Baijukya F., Mwijage A., Smith J., Yeboah E., Burg W.J.v.d., Sanogo O.M., Misiko M., Ridder N.d., Karanja S., Kaizzi C., K’ungu J., Mwale M., Nwaga D., Pacini C., Vanlauwe B. 2011. Communicating complexity: Integrated assessment of trade-offs concerning soil fertility management within African farming systems to support innovation and development. Agricultural Systems 104: 191–203
  19. Tittonell P., Scopel E., Andrieu N., Posthumus H., Mapfumo P., Corbeels M., van Halsema G.E., Lahmar R., Lugandu S., Rakotoarisoa J., Mtambanengwe F., Pound B., Chikowo R., Naudin K., Triomphe B., and Mkomwa S. 2012. Agroecology-based aggradation-conservation agriculture (ABACO): Targeting innovations to combat soil degradation and food insecurity in semi-arid Africa. Field Crops Research 132: 168-174.
  20. Chikowo R, Corbeels M, Mapfumo P, Tittonell P, Vanlauwe B, Giller KE 2010. Nitrogen and phosphorus capture and recovery efficiencies and crop responses to a range of soil fertility management strategies in sub-Saharan Africa. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems. 88: 59-77
  21. Chikowo, R, Faloya V, Petit S. and Munier-Jolain, N.M. 2009. Integrated weed management systems allow reduced reliance on herbicides and long-term weed control. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 132:237-242.
  22. Chikowo R, Corbeels M, Tittonell P, Vanlauwe B, Whitbread A, Giller KE 2008. Aggregating field-scale knowledge into farm-scale models of African smallholder systems: Summary functions to simulate crop production using APSIM. Agricultural Systems 97: 151-166.
  23. Nyamadzawo G, Chikowo R, Nyamugafata P, Nyamangara J, Giller KE 2008. Soil organic carbon dynamics of improved fallow-maize rotation systems under conventional and no-tillage in Central Zimbabwe. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 81: 85 – 93.
  24. Nyamadzawo G , Chikowo R, Nyamugafata P, Nyamangara J and Giller KE 2008. Residual effects of fallows on selected soil hydraulic properties in a kaolinitic soil subjected to conventional tillage (CT) and no tillage (NT). Agroforestry Systems 72: 161-168.
  25. Nyamadzawo G, Chikowo R, Nyamugafata P, Giller KE. 2007. Improved legume tree fallows and tillage effects on structural stability and infiltration rates of a kaolinitic sandy soil from central Zimbabwe. Soil & Tillage Research 96: 182-194.
  26. Chikowo R, Mapfumo P, Leffelaar P A and Giller KE 2006. Integrating legumes to improve N cycling on smallholder farms in sub-humid Zimbabwe: Resource quality, biophysical and environmental limitations. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems. 76: 219-231.
  27. Chikowo R, Mapfumo P, Nyamugafata P, Giller KE 2004. Woody legume fallow productivity, biological N2- fixation and residual benefits to two successive maize crops in Zimbabwe. Plant Soil 262: 303-315.
  28. Chikowo R, Mapfumo P, Nyamugafata P and Giller KE 2004. Mineral N dynamics, leaching and nitrous oxide losses under maize following two-year improved fallows on a sandy loam soil in Zimbabwe. Plant Soil 259: 315-330.
  29. Chikowo R, Mapfumo P, Nyamugafata P and Giller KE 2004. Maize productivity and mineral N dynamics following different soil fertility management technologies on a depleted sandy soil in Zimbabwe. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment 102:119-131.
  30. Chikowo R, Mapfumo P, Nyamugafata P, Nyamadzawo G and Giller KE 2003. Nitrate- N dynamics following improved fallows and spatial maize root development in a Zimbabwean sandy clay loam. Agroforestry Systems 59: 187-195.
  31. Nyamadzawo G, Nyamugafata P, Chikowo R and Giller KE 2003. Partitioning of simulated rainfall in a kaolinitic soil under improved fallow-maize sequence in Zimbabwe. Agroforestry Systems 59: 207-214.
  32. Chikowo R, Tagwira F and Piha M 1999. Agronomic effectiveness of poor quality manure supplemented with P fertilizer in a maize-groundnut rotation. African Crop Science Journal 7: 383-395.
  33. Chikowo R, 2011. Climatic risk analysis in conservation agriculture in varied biophysical and socio-economic settings of Southern Africa. Network Paper 3 Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Johannesburg. 40 p.
  34. Zingore S, Chikowo R, Nyamadzawo G, Nyamugafata P, Mafongoya P.L. 2007. Developments in the Research of the Potential of Agroforestry for Sustaining Soil Fertility in Zimbabwe. In: Ecological Basis of Agroforestry. Daizy R. Batish, Ravinder K. Kohli, Panjab Shibu Jose, Harminder P. Singh (Eds.) CRC Press, 400 pp.
  35. Nyamadzawo G, Nyamugafata P, Chikowo R, Chirwa T and Mafongoya P L 2005. Soil and carbon losses under rainfall simulation from two contrasting soils under maize-improved fallows rotation in eastern Zambia. In: Soil Erosion and Carbon Dynamics. Roose EJ, Lal R, Feller C, Barthes B and Stewarts B A (Eds.). CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group. Boca Raton USA. Pp. 197-206.
  36. Murwira H.K., Tagwira F., Chikowo R., Waddington SR., 1998. An evaluation of the agronomic effectiveness of low rates of cattle manure and combinations of inorganic N in Zimbabwe. In: Soil Fertility Research for Maize-based Farming Systems in Malawi and Zimbabwe. Waddington SR, Murwira HK, Kumwenda JDT, Hikwa D and Tagwira F (EDs). Soil Fert Net, CIMMYT. Harare, Zimbabwe. P. 179-182.