Addressing Africa's soil health challenges

All eyes are on Nairobi next week for the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit (AFSH24). The widespread adoption of sustainable soil management is critical to realising the full potential of Africa’s soils.

Soil health is a necessary foundation for achieving the productivity gains needed, and AICCRA partnerships are supporting efforts to scale action.

This month:

• Save the date for the launch of a new Fertilizer and Soil Health Hub for West Africa and the Sahel
• Dive into what you need to know ahead of AFSH24
• Explore stories from Kenya, Ghana, Senegal and Ethiopia

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A new regional soil Hub for West Africa and the Sahel to be launched

Join us at AFSH24 where a consortium of partners will officially launch the Fertilizer and Soil Health Hub for West Africa and the Sahel.

• Wednesday 8 May | 15:30 - 17:00 EAT     
• The Lawns (Tent 4), Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) 
• Save the date (Livestream details will be shared as soon as possible)  
• Note: Prior registration for AFSH24 required to attend in-person

The vision of the new Regional Hub is for nations in West Africa and the Sahel to improve long-term soil health and fertility for enhanced yield and profitability, efficient resource use (nutrients, water, labour), and climate resilience, thus contributing to the sustainable transformation of African smallholder agriculture for food security, poverty reduction, and environmental sustainability. 

This launch event on Wednesday 8 May at AFSH24 marks the beginning of the Hub's activities and investments, in alignment with the ECOWAS Roadmap for Fertilizer and Soil Health.

ICYMI: VIrtual Info Session with AUDA-NEPAD ahead of AFSH24

To help stakeholders prepare for the Summit, African Union Development Agency-NEPAD and AICCRA hosted a knowledge-exchange session to provide an overview of the upcoming Summit and dive into the draft 10-year AFSH Action Plan.

Watch it here:

Essential reading:

• Guidance Note: Soil health – critical to addressing climate change and realising Africa’s agricultural potential  
• Briefing Note: Addressing Africa’s soil health challenges through the ten-year African Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan (2024-2034) and the longer-term Soil Initiative for Africa Framework

AICCRA Country Spotlight: Kenya

The AICCRA Kenya team is preparing for a major Public Forum in Nairobi on 14 May (at KICC), where we will launch AICCRA's additional finance phase and showcase how our work is contributing to practical and sustainable change in the Kenyan climate change adaptation ecosystem.

Stay tuned for more info!

Explore some stories of our partnerships in Kenya:

Empowering Kenyan Farmers: Unveiling the impact of targeted agro-weather advisory

AICCRA partnerships are empowering more Kenyan farmers in the use of weather advisories and climate information services.

Through our collaboration with call center, iShamba, small-scale farmers can access accurate and timely agro-weather information tailored to their unique needs.

AICCRA and Lewa: Forging a Path towards Sustainable Agriculture and Community Resilience

The Northern rangelands of Kenya are home to some of the most scenic and prestigious wildlife conservancies in the country, including the Lewa Conservancy, a UNESCO heritage site.

As climate change threatens the livelihoods of thousands of farmers and the entire ecosystem, a partnership between AICCRA and Lewa is enabling valuable knowledge exchange on building resilience and sustainable development, fostering mutual learning, and enhancing our respective outcomes.

Building Resilience Through Locally Led Climate Action: The Significance of Kenya’s Participatory Scenario Planning

Participatory Scenario Planning (PSP) workshops were conducted in nine counties in Kenya during the release of the national forecast for March, April, and May rains by the Kenya Meteorological Department. These efforts translated high-level climate data into actionable strategies for communities in ways that foster greater resilience to climate change.

Watch: Locally-led climate action in action in Siaya County, Kenya

Learn more about how community-based organization Dala Rieko uses climate-smart agriculture to support farmers and protect the enviroment.

Forging partnerships to tackle invasive species in Ghana's farming communities

In Ghana, pests and diseases cause food and agriculture-related losses valued at a billion dollars every year, impacting the economy and the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.  Climate change is making the challenge harder to address as warmer temperatures attract more invasive species.

Led by the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD) with support from AICCRA, 11 public and private sector organizations in Ghana have collaboratively developed and signed an agreement on an Early Warning and Rapid Response System for Pest and Diseases to protect the country's food system. 

The early warning and response system will be an important resource for farmers like Zuur Gaetin, a 74-year-old farmer in Naburnye, a village in Lawra district, who lost much to a fall armyworm outbreak in 2016 and is still trying to recover.

“Many hands make light work. I am happy to learn that these big organisations are uniting to support us to protect our yields,” said Gaetin.

COMING SOON: AICCRA 2023 Annual Report

What we've been reading this month:

1. Strengthening Africa’s climate-smart agriculture and food systems through enhanced policy coherence and coordinated action

Africa’s climate, food and agricultural policy agendas are often fragmented and yet their integration is a key requirement for enhancing the continent’s resilience and development outcomes.

In this paper, AICCRA's Policy and Engagement Specialist Romy Chevalier explores explores actions to strengthen and better align Africa’s climate adaptation and mitigation responses in the agricultural sector.

Read her recommendations for national policy frameworks and action plans.

2. Vulnerability and resilience in the face of climate changes in Senegal's drylands: measurement at the household level and determinant assessment

The resilience capacity of smallholder households is one of the main drivers of their ability to continue to farm and make investments in the fragile dryland regions.

Through AICCRA partnerhips in Senegal, a Composite Climate Resilience Index was developed to measure this resilience. Results revealed worrying scores for smallholders in the regions of Louga (-0.36), Kaffrine (-0.1) and Thiès (-0.2), highlighting the urgent need for targeted action to strengthen their adaptation.

Explore the study.

Authors: Adjani Nourou-Dine Yessoufou, Shalander Kumar, Prosper Houessionon, Omonlola Nadine Worou, Abdrahmane Wane, Anthony Whitbread

3. Effective data management is a game changer for smallholder sheep and goat breeding programs 

Sheep and goat breeding plays a vital socioeconomic role in the agricultural sector across Central and West Asia, and North Africa (CWANA) and beyond, providing valuable resources such as meat, milk, and wool.

In Ethiopia, in collaboration with partners including the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) project and National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS), ICARDA has been working on expanding and sustaining an innovative and easy-to-use digital tool (DTREO) to support Community-Based Breeding Programs (CBBPs).

Learn more here

Read these stories and more on our news page or follow us on social media (@CGIARAfrica) for ongoing updates.

Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) is a project that helps deliver a climate-smart African future driven by science and innovation in agriculture. It is led by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT and supported by a grant from the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank.