New continental partnership initiated to advance soil information development in Africa

The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), ISRIC – World Soil Information and CABI, supported by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), have signed an implementation agreement to establish a continent-wide partnership to enhance soil information systems in Africa.

The partnership, named the Coalition for Soil Information Systems in Africa, will develop an African Continental Level Support Team. The team will provide information products and support national and continental actors in creating effective soil information systems across the continent.

The agreement was formally ratified on 31 October during the 15th Africa Day for Food and Nutrition Security (ADFNS) commemoration and the 20th edition of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Partnership Platform held in Harare, Zimbabwe. Endorsed by the African Union (AUC) and led by FARA, the coalition is open to organisations committed to strengthening soil information systems development in Africa. This collaboration was initiated following the Soil Initiative for Africa at the AUC Africa Fertiliser and Soil Health Summit in Nairobi.

Andries Bosma, External Relations Manager at ISRIC, said, "Soil information systems are an important building block for decision support tools for sustainable agricultural production. As an African-led initiative, the Coalition for Soil Information Systems in Africa, with different partners and funders, will contribute to a systematic, demand-driven and aligned development of soil information systems across the continent, with uniform agreed standards, methods, tools and capacity-strengthening. The mobilisation of experience and knowledge gained from projects such as the EU-AUC Soils4Africa project will be crucial to its success."

Following the signing of the agreement, the organisations hosted a side event focused on the theme "Soil Information Systems for Attainment of Soil Health in Africa: Pathway for Progress". During this event, they discussed the newly formed partnership and emphasised the importance of soil information for creating a sustainable agricultural sector.