Agricultural intensification is a necessity in the densely populated areas of sub-Saharan Africa and
certainly so in the Great Lakes region of Central Africa, the operational domain of the Consortium for
Improving Agriculture-based Livelihoods in Central Africa (CIALCA). The integrated soil fertility
management (ISFM) paradigm has been accepted by the research and development community,
including the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, as a viable set of principles to foster agricultural
intensification. In this paper we first describe the production environment of CIALCA’s mandate areas
and its impact on livelihood characteristics and constraints on enhanced productivity. We then develop
the definition of ISFM and evaluate its relation with eco-efficiency principles. ISFM components are
illustrated with data from various cropping systems in the mandate areas and specific reference is
made to issues of dissemination and the creation of an enabling environment for the uptake of ISFM
technologies. We found that ISFM principles are relevant for increasing system productivity within the
Great Lakes region but that unfavorable conditions for their uptake are a major impediment to their
potential impact. CIALCA and future initiatives should simultaneously invest in the development and
evaluation of ISFM practices and the creation of an environment that favors their uptake.