Soil Health Hub Launched for Future Food Security in West Africa and the Sahel
May 8, 2024 – Nairobi, Kenya – West Africa and the Sahel region continues to grapple with an acute human nutrition and soil health crisis fueled by prolonged drought, socio-economic fragility, and exacerbated by climate change. This chronic vulnerability, mired in instability, has created wide swaths of food insecure populations farming in a subsidence manner on increasingly degraded lands. According to the World Bank, 121 million people in the region are expected to be food insecure in 2024, highlighting a crucial need for sustainable agricultural solutions. The 2006 Abuja Declaration focused on fertilizers to address the critical issue of low agricultural productivity; however, many farming households struggle not only with fertilizer accessibility but also their proper use.
This unique set of challenges is being addressed through a newly formed Fertilizer and Soil Health Hub for West Africa and the Sahel, officially launched at the African Union Commission’s African Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit (AFSH) on 7-9 May 2024. This Hub Initiative is part of the Lomé Roadmap developed in 2023 by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and has rapidly assembled a coalition of key partners including the African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI), ECOWAS, OCP Africa, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), The World Bank, International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), and its lead organization, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) representing the CGIAR Excellence in Agronomy Initiative (EiA) Centres.
Representatives of the Fertilizer and Soil Health Hub for West Africa and the Sahel during its official launch at the Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit (AFSH) held on 8 May 2024.
“The Fertilizer and Soil Health Hub is poised to play a critical role in addressing the region’s agricultural challenges,” said Dr. Kaushik Majumdar, APNI Director General. “Our focus extends beyond fertilizers to encompass soil health, which is vital for sustainable food security yet was often overlooked in policy frameworks.”
The Hub aims to improve long-term soil health and fertility, enhance yields and profitability, and promote efficient resource use, including nutrients, water, labor, and seeds. By fostering climate resilience, the Hub contributes to the sustainable transformation of African smallholder agriculture, advancing food security, poverty reduction, and environmental sustainability.
For APNI’s part, its initial focus will be centered on its expertise in capacity building, translating plant nutrition science into actionable knowledge for smallholder farmers, and mainstreaming research and farming practice innovation systems to create locally relevant, farmer-centric solutions to accelerate change on the ground.
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African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI) is a not-for-profit research and education organization founded in 2019. Their mission is enhanced plant nutrition for a resilient and food-secure Africa. APNI’s core competence in plant nutrition research and development is well positioned to activate the fundamental changes needed for sustainable transformation of agricultural systems in Africa.
