Background
Soil Values, a 10-year program (2024-2034) financed by the Netherlands Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS), is a transformative initiative unfolding across Burkina Faso, Mali, Northern Nigeria, and Niger, where the primary objective is to establish sustainable soil fertility management as a cornerstone within the farming systems of the Sahelian and Guinea Savanna regions.
Objectives
Soil Values aims to improve the soil fertility and productive capacity of 2 million hectares of farmland in the Sahel, fostering resilience and well-being among 1.5 million farmers, with an emphasis on women.
The program’s approach focuses on Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) in the context of participatory landscape management to catalyse viable business cases and incentivise adoption by farmers, market actors, and policymakers.
Expected outcomes
- 1.5 million smallholder farmers, 800,000 of whom are women, reduce the yield gap and become more resilient to climate shocks.
- 40-plus river basins and landscapes, covering 2 million hectares of farmland, are managed sustainably and with equitable use of water.
- Soil fertility is prioritized within agricultural development programs, regional policies, and the initiatives of governments and civil society organizations in implementing nations.
Consortium
Soil Values is being implemented by IFDC in collaboration with core partners SNV and Wageningen University and Research (WUR) and various knowledge partners, such as AGRA, the World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF), the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), ISRIC – World Soil Information, and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), and works through existing national projects, programs, policies, and organizations, such as World Bank’s Food Systems Resilience Program (FSRP).
ISRIC will contribute by providing accurate and high-resolution actionable soil information at watershed level with which a baseline of soil condition is provided, catchment management planning and soil fertility recommendations can be developed, soil health can be monitored and will strengthen the capacity of national partners in these.
Funding
Soil Values is supported by the Netherlands Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS) under Dutch development policy.
Project coordination at ISRIC: Andre Kooiman and Francis Silatsa.