The Imperative for Strengthening Soil Information Systems (SISs) in Africa: Reflections and Key Insights from Practice

This policy brief presents the case for scaling and integrating soil information systems (SISs) as a foundational step toward addressing Africa’s urgent challenges of land degradation, food and nutrition insecurity, biodiversity loss, and climate change. With over 65% of productive land degraded and...

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Autor principal: African Union Development Agency- NEPAD
Formato: Brief
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa 2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174930
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author African Union Development Agency- NEPAD
author_browse African Union Development Agency- NEPAD
author_facet African Union Development Agency- NEPAD
author_sort African Union Development Agency- NEPAD
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description This policy brief presents the case for scaling and integrating soil information systems (SISs) as a foundational step toward addressing Africa’s urgent challenges of land degradation, food and nutrition insecurity, biodiversity loss, and climate change. With over 65% of productive land degraded and millions of smallholder farmers struggling to grow food in nutrient-depleted soils, the need for healthy, resilient soils has never been more critical. This policy brief emphasizes that healthy soil underpins sustainable agricultural systems and delivers essential ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, drought resilience, and erosion control. It calls on African Union Member States to develop cohesive, evidence-based monitoring frameworks that enable targeted, locally relevant soil restoration and investment decisions. The brief offers practical policy recommendations to align soil health indicators with continental commitments such as the Nairobi and Kampala Declarations, the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health (AFSH) Action Plan (2023–2033), and the new Ten-Year Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) Strategy and Action Plan (2026-2035). It advocates for leveraging existing initiatives, supporting the co-design of SISs with stakeholders, and raising awareness of soil health's pivotal role in achieving sustainable development across Africa.
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spelling CGSpace1749302025-11-11T16:29:03Z The Imperative for Strengthening Soil Information Systems (SISs) in Africa: Reflections and Key Insights from Practice African Union Development Agency- NEPAD information systems monitoring soil quality-soil health policy briefs This policy brief presents the case for scaling and integrating soil information systems (SISs) as a foundational step toward addressing Africa’s urgent challenges of land degradation, food and nutrition insecurity, biodiversity loss, and climate change. With over 65% of productive land degraded and millions of smallholder farmers struggling to grow food in nutrient-depleted soils, the need for healthy, resilient soils has never been more critical. This policy brief emphasizes that healthy soil underpins sustainable agricultural systems and delivers essential ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, drought resilience, and erosion control. It calls on African Union Member States to develop cohesive, evidence-based monitoring frameworks that enable targeted, locally relevant soil restoration and investment decisions. The brief offers practical policy recommendations to align soil health indicators with continental commitments such as the Nairobi and Kampala Declarations, the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health (AFSH) Action Plan (2023–2033), and the new Ten-Year Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) Strategy and Action Plan (2026-2035). It advocates for leveraging existing initiatives, supporting the co-design of SISs with stakeholders, and raising awareness of soil health's pivotal role in achieving sustainable development across Africa. 2025-03-01 2025-06-03T21:21:58Z 2025-06-03T21:21:58Z Brief https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174930 en Open Access application/pdf Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa African Union Development Agency- NEPAD. 2025. The Imperative for Strengthening Soil Information Systems in Africa: Reflections and Key Insights from Practice. AICCRA Briefs. Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA)
spellingShingle information systems
monitoring
soil quality-soil health
policy briefs
African Union Development Agency- NEPAD
The Imperative for Strengthening Soil Information Systems (SISs) in Africa: Reflections and Key Insights from Practice
title The Imperative for Strengthening Soil Information Systems (SISs) in Africa: Reflections and Key Insights from Practice
title_full The Imperative for Strengthening Soil Information Systems (SISs) in Africa: Reflections and Key Insights from Practice
title_fullStr The Imperative for Strengthening Soil Information Systems (SISs) in Africa: Reflections and Key Insights from Practice
title_full_unstemmed The Imperative for Strengthening Soil Information Systems (SISs) in Africa: Reflections and Key Insights from Practice
title_short The Imperative for Strengthening Soil Information Systems (SISs) in Africa: Reflections and Key Insights from Practice
title_sort imperative for strengthening soil information systems siss in africa reflections and key insights from practice
topic information systems
monitoring
soil quality-soil health
policy briefs
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174930
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