Soil Initiative for Africa (SIA)

30
Oct

How do we measure Soil health in Africa? Imperative for the implementation of the Soil Initiative for Africa

By Wole Fatunbi Another bold step was taken in translating the vision of the Soil Initiative for Africa (SIA) and the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan (AFSH-AP) into measurable Action and Impact. A two-day expert group meeting was held at the International Convention Center, Kigali, Rwanda, to discuss and agree on the definition of Soil health in Africa

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20
Oct

Brokering Partnerships with USA Land Grant Universities: a step to leverage advanced Science for implementing the Soil Initiative for Africa and AFSH-AP.

By ‘Wole Fatunbi Between October 13th to 15th 2025, the Africa Agricultural Research Innovation and Education Institutions (AARIEI), led by FARA, organized an engagement meeting with land-grant Universities in the USA to broker a partnership to support the implementation of the Soil Initiative for Africa (SIA). The three-day workshop was held at the Agronomy complex of the Kansas State University, Manhattan,

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6
Oct

African Union Soil Observatory Project Officially Launched to Close Africa’s Soil Data Gaps for Sustainable Agriculture

By Benjamin Abugri, Richard Kombat & Shaquille Pennaneach Nairobi, Kenya — October 6, 2025 The African Union Soil Observatory (AUSO) Project was officially launched today at the Trademark Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya, in a high-level event bringing together African and European partners, policymakers, scientists, and development stakeholders. Running from October 6 to 8, 2025, the launch and inception meeting mark

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26
Aug

FARA signs MoU with JIRCAS – Strengthening Food Security through Science-Based Soil Management Technologies

The Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) signed a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) on August 22, 2025, during the official side event titled “Transforming African Food Systems through Regenerative Agriculture ” (organized by the Sasakawa Africa Association), held in conjunction with the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development

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4
Jun

Africa Soil Information System must be understandable and usable by the Soil Users.

By ‘Wole Fatunbi At the 13th Plenary Session of the Global Soil Platform (GSP) held at the FAO campus in Rome, Italy, 3rd – 5th June 2025. The plenary on soil health featured a key presentation by Christian Witt and Paul Luu of the BMGF and the 4per 1000 initiative; their presentations highlighted the importance of soil health notation for

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27
May

Exploring the state of Knowledge and Action for Optimizing Soil Carbon in Africa

By  Wole Fatunbi The state of knowledge and technologies about soil carbon management was the crux of discussion at the inaugural workshop of the Africa Node of the International Research Consortium on Soil Carbon (IRC-SC). At the workshop held on the 26th – 28th  May 2025 at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya, the key presentations and discussions are on

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23
May

Africa Launches the Groundbreaking Soil Information System

On 19th May 2025, at the Hilton Hotel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, stakeholders, led by the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Blue Economy (DARBE) of the African Union Commission, launched the African Soil Information System (AfSIS). The launch marks a significant milestone in managing the continent’s most valuable production asset: African soils. For years, various efforts have been made to

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25
Apr

Laying the Foundations: Africa’s First Cohort of Soil Information Experts Trained in Accra

The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and ISRIC – World Soil Information are collaborating to strengthen Africa’s agricultural transformation by addressing a critical but often overlooked factor: soil health and information management. Both institutions are key partners under the African Union-European Union (AU-EU) Partnership for Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA) and have been at the

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20
Feb

Strengthening Collaboration on Soil Carbon: A Global Dialogue for Africa’s Sustainable Future

By Benjamin Abugri, Richard Kombat and Shaquille Pennaneach February 20, 2025 – The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), in collaboration with the ORCaSa project and OCP Africa, successfully hosted a webinar on “Strengthening Collaboration on Soil Carbon: Roles and Opportunities for the Africa Chapter of the International Research Consortium (IRC-SC).” The event attracted about 200 participants from across

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13
Jan

Engaging the Private Sector: Key to Realizing Africa’s Soil and Fertilizer Ambitions

Kampala, Uganda – January 10, 2025: During a high-profile side event organized by AUDA-NEPAD and the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) at the extraordinary presidential summit for CAADP-3.0, experts underscored the critical role of the private sector in achieving the aspirations of the Soil Initiative for Africa (SIA) and the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan (AFSH-AP).

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