On 14 January 2025, the Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH) hosted a reflection webinar for a recent pilot initiative from CIFOR-ICRAF, Varda, and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation. Over 125 participants attended to hear insights on the soil data ecosystem in Kenya and Tanzania and contribute their questions and perspectives on the pilot results and the future of soil health data on the African continent.

Soil health is fundamental to IFDC’s mission of establishing food security, boosting agricultural productivity, and improving livelihoods. In honor of World Soil Day, IFDC invites eligible participants to engage in the “Visual Stories of Soil Health” competition to raise awareness about the critical role of soil health in sustainable agriculture. 

This competition aims to showcase the transformative impact of IFDC, our partners, and other soil health initiatives, by utilizing the power of visual storytelling to illustrate the significant improvements in soil health, crop yields, and the social and economic benefits for communities worldwide.

Submission Deadline: February 5, 2025 

As a continuation of the organization’s first symposium this year in Washington, D.C., to commemorate the center’s 50th anniversary, the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) hosted a second symposium, “Future Proofing: Unified Action for Soil Health and Food Security,” on November 4 at KIT in Amsterdam.

The event brought together global agriculture experts, policymakers, leaders, and stakeholders to explore pathways for strengthening soil health and enhancing food security amidst a rapidly evolving landscape of environmental and economic challenges, in addition to the challenges of a growing population.

Read the full story and watch the event recordings on the IFDC website

23 October 2024: The Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH) co-hosted a virtual side event with CIFOR-ICRAF and the International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC) at the Norman A. Borlaug Dialogue of the World Food Prize (WFP). The event highlighted the critical importance of leveraging robust soil health monitoring methodologies to answer key knowledge gaps on the impact of land management and landscape restoration practices on soil health and to translate this information into policy.

CA4SH’s Webinar Series was held over three sessions in the lead-up to the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit to address key challenges currently constraining farmers to implement healthy soil practices. The first two sessions were held under the topics of bringing soil health into policy and financing healthy soil practices. This third session focused on the science and knowledge needed to generate actionable data for soil health monitoring and scaling up, informing and tracking soil health practices on the ground whilst addressing key barriers.

From 7-8 May 2024, African leaders and stakeholders came together to reverse soil degradation and map a joint way forward for the continent by putting farmers first.

The Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit (AFSHS) was raised to address changes in the agricultural sector in Africa since the 2006 Abuja Declaration on Fertilizer for the Africa Green Revolution. Since the Abuja Declaration, sustainable soil management has become an increasingly recognized priority for reversing land degradation and contributing to the climate adaptation strategies of African countries.

As active proponents of soil health to address all 17 Sustainable Development Goals, CA4SH participated in and hosted several sessions at the AFSHS to bridge science and policy spaces with examples of concerted action on the ground.

Women and gender-diverse people around the World are a non-negotiable, indispensable part of food systems and efforts to scale soil health, globally.

For International Women’s Day 2024, we reached out to powerhouse women from across the CA4SH network who are working with NGOs, farmer cooperatives, research, public and private domains, and more, to deliver key messages on why gender inclusion is so important to scaling soil health.

“Dr. Leigh Ann Winowiecki, member of the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) Board of Directors, and Dr. Ekwe L Dossa, IFDC Director of Soil Health and Agricultural Productivity, attended the United Nations Climate Conference (COP28), held November 30 to December 12, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. We recently sat down with Leigh and Ekwe to discuss their insights from the event.”

Read the full story from the International Fertilizer Development Centre

Research shows that soil is connected to all 17 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, individually and as a holistic solution. To help underscore the importance of these connections, CA4SH has summarized how each of the SDGs links to soil.

“West Africa fertilizer policy decision-makers and experts issued an official Ministerial Declaration on Fertilizer and Soil Health in West Africa at the close of a high-level round table organized by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), with technical and funding support by IFDC’s Feed the Future EnGRAIS project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the World Bank, respectively.”

“As part of the Assessment of State Fertilizer Scenario and Promoting Efficient Nutrient Management (ASPEN) project, the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, Government of Assam, Punjab Agricultural University, Feed the Future, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and National Agro Industries, have developed a seed-and-fertilizer drill.”