IFDC and ISRIC sign partnership agreement

IFDC President and CEO Henk van Duijn sits next to ISRIC Director Rik van den Bosch while signing the new partnership agreement

On 13 April, 2023, ISRIC – World Soil Information (ISRIC) signed a partnership agreement with the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) focused on activities to improve soil fertility and soil health in support of sustainable intensification of agricultural production, predominantly in Africa. IFDC’s President and CEO, Henk van Duijn, sat with ISRIC Director Rik van den Bosch to sign the official agreement during the visit of an IFDC delegation to Wageningen, The Netherlands.

"I am truly very happy to sign this agreement with IFDC and we are looking forward to, together with stakeholders, developing user-oriented soil fertility services that have direct impact on agricultural production and soil health in Africa,” said Rik van den Bosch, Director of ISRIC – World Soil Information.

ISRIC is focusing on the development of high quality spatial soil information products and interpretations of these products, especially in support of soil fertility management. IFDC has long-term experience in the fields of plant nutrition, fertilizer markets, agricultural development, and farmer-market linkages. Together we cover the entire chain from soil to market, providing opportunities to develop services with impact.

"I am excited about this partnership with ISRIC, which will allow us to combine our expertise and resources to address the critical issue of soil fertility in Africa. By leveraging our collective strengths, we can develop innovative and sustainable solutions that will help farmers care for their soils, improve their yields, increase their incomes, and contribute to food security in the region," said Henk van Duijn, President and CEO of IFDC.

ISRIC and IFDC have been working together in two research oriented projects (ENRICH and FERARI) focusing on soil nutrient availability and uptake. Additionally, IFDC and ISRIC, through Feed the Future-funded Sustainable Opportunities for Improving Livelihoods with Soils (SOILS) Consortium, are working on building decision support tools for soil health. With the current cooperation we hope to extend our cooperation towards the development of soil fertility services with impact.