The Imperative for Strengthening Soil Information Systems in Africa: Reflections and Key Insights from Practice [Insight Brief]

African Heads of State and Government formally adopted the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health (AFSH) Summit Declaration, also known as the Nairobi Declaration, during the AFSH Summit. The AFSH Summit addressed the urgent need to improve soil health and enhance fertilizer utilization across the continent to boost agricultural productivity and alleviate hunger and poverty. These priorities were initially identified in the 2006 Abuja Declaration on Fertilizer for the African Green Revolution. The Nairobi Declaration highlights the heavy reliance of African agriculture on cropland expansion for growth which has contributed to slow productivity gains, unsustainable soil management practices, and widespread soil nutrient depletion. For instance, a study by Potapov et al. (2022) indicates that cropland expansion in Africa between 2003 and 2019 was the greatest of all regions globally with an increase of 53.2 Mha, or 34%. The Nairobi Declaration links unsustainable land management practices and associated soil and land degradation challenges to reduced farmer incomes, increased carbon emissions, and enhanced biodiversity loss. It further highlights climate change as a substantial threat to African agriculture’s productivity and sustainability.

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