‘Elevate Africa’s voice regarding soil health’

by Shaquille Pennaneach | Dec 5, 2024 | 2IPS, CSA, News And Events, Soil Initiative for Africa (SIA)

Wolé Fatunbi, from the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), represents the Soil Carbon International Research Consortium (IRC) regional ambassador for the African continent. Soil health is a real challenge for food security in Africa and for tackling climate change.

How does Africa’s soil compare to the global context?

Africa’s soil is both unique and fragile, distinguished by its age and long history of transformations. The low mineral content and limited depth contribute to reduced levels of organic matter, while the clay minerals found in these soils are mostly low-activity types, which further limits fertility.

Despite these challenges, African soil has the potential to be productive, but it requires careful management practices. Many farming techniques employed in other regions, particularly mechanised plowing, are often unsuitable for African soils. Such practices can disrupt the delicate balance of nutrients and organic matter, deteriorating the existing soil issues. Furthermore, heavy rainfall events can wash away the scarce remaining organic matter, further depleting the soil’s quality.

Soil health in Africa also plays a critical role in ecological functions, such as carbon sequestration, which is essential for combating climate change. When soil is mismanaged, it loses its ability to store carbon, which can intensify climate impacts while simultaneously reducing agricultural productivity. This creates a cycle that threatens both food security and environmental sustainability.

What is FARA researching in Africa in terms of soil biodiversity and sustainable management?

Maintaining soil biodiversity is one of the leading challenges facing Africa, as it is crucial for sustaining healthy ecosystems. Forest soils, for example, have developed intricate microclimates over centuries, supporting a diverse array of microorganisms, fauna, and flora. When these soils are exposed to agricultural activities or urban development, this balance is disrupted, leading to soil degradation.

The loss of microbial diversity poses a significant risk. Without sufficient microbial life, organic matter cannot effectively break down, and nutrients cannot be properly recycled back into the soil. In light of this, Africa is increasingly interested in biofertilisers. They work to support microbial populations and enhance soil fertility by promoting nutrient cycling alongside traditional mineral fertilisers.

Another innovative solution being explored is the use of biochar, a carbon-rich material that can improve soil moisture retention and fertility. While biochar itself does not contain nutrients, it can significantly enhance the effectiveness of organic and mineral amendments, making it an important tool in sustainable soil management practices.

It is important to address the misconception that Africa should completely avoid fertilisers. While fertilisers carry a stigma, FARA is actively working on researching bio-based solutions like biochar to offer scientific alternatives. FARA’s role, in coordination with the African Union Commission, is to provide evidence-based research that can guide policy development and inform public opinion to ensure food security and improve livelihoods across the continent.

What’s the role of the regional ambassador for Africa and its involvement in the Soil Carbon IRC?

The ORCaSa project is important for Africa, particularly concerning soil carbon management. As the regional ambassador for Africa, FARA is working to ensure that African stakeholders are actively involved in the Soil Carbon IRC [more than 34 signatories from 18 African countries have expressly shown their interest in joining the IRC]. Though the IRC is still in its emerging stages, there is significant interest among stakeholders. Many are eager to join and contribute, but sustaining this interest requires ongoing activities that demonstrate clear benefits. Forming an alliance is insufficient; African stakeholders need tangible evidence of how their involvement will positively impact their work.

One of our primary goals is to connect the Soil Carbon IRC’s activities with existing frameworks on the continent, such as the African Union’s Soil Initiative and the 10-Year Fertiliser and Soil Health Action Plan. These long-term frameworks are critical for ensuring that the Soil Carbon IRC remains active and impactful beyond the lifespan of the ORCaSa project, which is set to conclude in 2025.

What are your objectives and key milestones for the Soil Carbon IRC in Africa moving forward?

We aim to prioritise strategic engagement. By offering stakeholders opportunities to present research, publish findings, and collaborate on projects, we want to encourage motivation and ensure ongoing participation in the Soil Carbon IRC.

We are working to build partnerships between African researchers and their counterparts in other regions. These exchanges of knowledge and resources are highly valued. I have hope that it will strengthen the Soil Carbon IRC and address Africa’s soil health challenges more effectively.

What does FARA gain from participating in the Soil Carbon IRC and the ORCaSa project?

The ORCaSa project aligns closely with Africa’s broader objectives of improving soil health and agricultural productivity. It provides an invaluable opportunity to expand partnerships, share knowledge, and learn from other regions. One of the key benefits for Africa is the chance to communicate its specific challenges and needs to a global audience. We hope this exposure will lead to increased access to resources, such as funding from the Green Climate Fund, which remains undervalued by African nations.

Through our involvement in the Soil Carbon IRC, FARA aims to elevate Africa’s voice in international discussions regarding soil health and climate change. By sharing insights into the challenges faced by African farmers and ecosystems, we hope to advocate for targeted interventions that address these issues effectively.

By collaborating with international partners and stakeholders, we want to ensure that Africa’s specific needs are recognised and addressed in the global discourse on soil health and agricultural sustainability. The goal is to foster practical solutions that will enhance soil and agricultural management, ultimately contributing to improved livelihoods for millions of people across the continent.

The China-Africa Agricultural Research and Development Cooperation Receives a Boost with the launch of CAASTIA

by Shaquille Pennaneach | Nov 13, 2024 | 2IPS, News And Events, Press Release

By Wole Fatunbi

The President of China, Xi Jinping, once said, “If the world enjoys reasonable development, then the two big populations in the world must experience development.” This is true for China, which has succeeded in reducing poverty to the barest minimum, and ensuring industrial and infrastructural development over the last 40 years. Africa, on the other hand, seems to be struggling with its growth, trying to craft a pathway out of poverty, lack of infrastructure, youth unemployment, leadership crises, and social and political upheavals.

Africa has the opportunity to learn and find inspiration from China’s development pathways in many areas, including its agriculture. While there are apparent differences in the natural resource base of the two continents and the socio-political structures, the place of science and technology in orchestrating development is a unifying point. This underscores the development and operations of the China-Africa Innovation Cooperation and Development Forum. The forum has fostered cooperation in numerous areas including agriculture. Today, China is the largest trading partner of 55 countries in Africa and the biggest supplier of industrial equipment and machinery.

At the aegis of the 2024 China-Africa Innovation Cooperation and Development Forum in Wuhan City, China. The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) and the Africa Academy of Sciences (AAS) launched a significant initiative, tagged “China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance (CAASTIA). The CAASTIA vision is to enhance modern agricultural development to reduce hunger and poverty in Africa. The alliance aims to deliver innovations, integrate agricultural research and industry resources from the two continents for mutual benefits, build cooperation on the value chain development of major commodities, and focus on common concerns of food security, biosecurity, green growth, and climate change.

CAASTIA will be hosted in Africa and China by its two co-founders, the AAS with the secretariat in Nairobi Kenya and CAAS with its headquarters in Beijing China. The supervising authorities in China are the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA); Ministry of Science and Technologies (MOST) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). In turn, the Department of Agriculture, Rural Economy (DARBE) of the Africa Union Commission (AUC) will be the Africa supervisor.

The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) will be the key implementing partner of CAASTIA in Africa. The core activities of CAASTIA will commence in 2025, starting with the engagement of willing partner organizations and the enactment of its charter.

In an engagement with the president of CAAS, Prof Wu Kongning, during a visit to the CAAS campus in Beijing, Prof Wole Fatunbi, the Ag Director of Research and Innovation in FARA, emphasized the need for research collaboration to develop and or adapt small machinery equipped with robotics functions for smart tillage, weeding and other operations on the farm in Africa.

Prof Wole Fatunbi, Ag. Director of Research and Innovation, FARA

This will align with the continental craving to modernize Africa’s smallholder agriculture in alignment with the nature-based approaches that ensure soil health, biodiversity conservation, and the maintenance of Africa’s natural resource base.

The implementation of the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance (CAASTIA) will kick-off in the first quarter of 2025.

Advancing Soil Health in Mediterranean African Countries: A Call for Action on Soil and Fertilizer Initiatives

by Shaquille Pennaneach | Oct 22, 2024 | 2IPS, CAADP-XP4, News And Events, Soil Initiative for Africa (SIA), Uncategorized

By `Wole Fatunbi

The Mediterranean region of Africa, including Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, and Mauritania, faces unique soil challenges. While their soils share similarities with the rest of Africa, they also experience added pressures from low moisture levels, limited vegetation, and biomass yield.

These lands, initially arid, have now become hyper-arid. Key challenges include water scarcity, drought, soil salinization due to irrigation, desertification, erosion, nutrient depletion, low organic carbon, overgrazing, land degradation, soil compaction from mechanized farming, reduced biological activity, and the impact of climate change.

The 4Per1000 Initiative hosted the Mediterranean Regional Conference from October 22-25, 2024, at the Institute of Agriculture and Veterinary, Hassan II, in Rabat, Morocco. During the conference, Prof. Wole Fatunbi, representing the ORCaSa Project and Africa’s International Research Consortium on Soil Carbon (IRC-OC), emphasized the need for Africa to develop its agriculture based on sound science. He noted that Africa must design strategies that reflect its natural resources and socio-economic realities.

Prof. Fatunbi questioned the Agroecology approach of reducing external inputs, which is promoted in some Western and Asian countries. He argued that while this may work elsewhere, Africa needs to incorporate organic fertilizers, biofertilizers, and organic materials to improve soil properties. Without this, mineral fertilizers won’t be as effective. He also stressed that mineral fertilizers must be used according to the crop’s specific nutrient needs. This approach would help maintain crop yields and reduce nutrient imbalances.

Prof. Wole Fatunbi, Acting Director of Research and Innovation, FARA

To support this, Prof. Fatunbi proposed the creation of a robust Soil Information System (SIS), which could guide farmers and land users by providing data-driven recommendations on fertilizers and agronomic practices.

Key actions identified to improve soil health and stop land degradation include:

Developing knowledge and technology to align with nature-based solutions.
Advancing the Soil Information System for better decision-making.
Introducing adaptable mechanization for fragile soils in smallholder systems.
Promoting the use of ICT, remote sensing, drones, and robotics in smallholder farming.
Developing nature-friendly soil amendments, such as organic and biofertilizers and eco-friendly mineral fertilizers.

For Africa to succeed in these efforts, stakeholders and member states must collaborate to implement continental frameworks like the Soil Information System (SIS) and the African Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan (AFSH-AP), a ten-year initiative to advance soil health.

Soil Savvy: Stakeholders Set Roadmap For Innovative Information Management System

by Shaquille Pennaneach | Oct 12, 2024 | 2IPS, Agroecology, CAADP-XP4, CSA, News And Events, Soil Initiative for Africa (SIA)

By Raji Adebayo, Oct 10, 2024

An expert in the field of agriculture, Dr. Wole Fatunbi, has identified low household income, poor social capital, low educational level and Nigeria gross domestic product (GDP) as the factors responsible for food insecurity affecting Nigeria while also stating that the Federal government is not sincere with the allocation of the countries budget for agriculture.

Dr. Fatunbi of the Forum of Agricultural Research In Africa (FARA) Ghana stated this while delivering a keynote address during the 2024 National Soil Summit held at the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IART) Ibadan.

While speaking at the summit with the theme Soil Information Management: Challenges, Perspectives and Possibilities for Sustainable Land Use and Food Security, he maintained that the Federal government needs to take proactive measures to tackle food shortages and develop partnership for capacity building.

While enumerating the factors that will boost food security, Dr. Fatunbi stated that partnership for capacity building on soil information science, promotion of the research of experts, enhancement of the existing political will to have soil information system are capable of boosting food security.

Other factors according to him, include the establishment of national soil information system, supporting tools from the soil information system and the development of the policies of researchers for data sharing and data use.

The Chief host, Vice Chancellor Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife Prof. Simeon Bamire who was represented by the Dean, faculty of agriculture Prof. Akeem Tijani stated that proper education on the importance of soil to healthy crop, advocacy and concrete actions in the field are the best way to maintain healthy soil and that water management strategies formulation and implementation as well as soil survey and land evaluation remain the best way to achieve soil information system.

“The role of IART as an institution with national mandate for soil research over years has contributed to developing improved soil management technologies affordable and adaptable to agro-ecologies of Nigeria.

“The potentials of the institute in research for development has endeared the government and private organisations to rely on her services in the area of soil and agro chemical testing / validation, soil and water management strategies formulation and implementation as well as soil survey and land validation” he remarked.

While welcoming the experts in the field of agriculture to the summit the Director of IAR&T, Prof. Veronica Obatolu emphasised that soil is experiencing a yearly decline despite the availability of improved technologies.

This, according to her has led to increased food insecurity, environmental challenges and economic crisis, she however added that addressing the ongoing issues affecting sustainable land use and agricultural development in the country is crucial at this moment.

“Soil often overlooked is the unsung hero of our ecosystem, it provides 95 per cent of our food, filters our water and regulate the climate, yet soil degradation affects over 33 percent of global land, affecting human health, food security and economic stability” she stated.

Prof. Obatolu disclosed that the summit represents a pivotal moment in various stakeholders’ innovative collective journey to enhance soil health and fertility and to promote sustainable agriculture practices and to foster resilient ecosystem and communities.

In his remark the Minister of Agriculture who was represented by the Oyo State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Florence Kakulu commended the leadership of IAR&T, especially Prof. Veronica Obatolu for working in the line of the ministry to achieve food sufficiency and urged her to continue working with other sister institutions and collaborate with the Federal Government to achieve food sufficiency.

She said the theme of the summit is in tandem with the Federal Government plan to boost food sufficiency in the country and urged Nigerians to utilise any little space within their homes to plant domestic crops.

The summit was supported by Indorama, GIZ, Soil values, SASAKAWA Africa Association and OCP.

Source: https://independent.ng/soil-savvy-stakeholders-set-roadmap-for-innovative-information-management-system/

Delivering the Promises of Climate Smart Agriculture Requires “Smart” Partnerships Beyond Lip Service.

by Shaquille Pennaneach | Aug 22, 2024 | 2IPS, CAADP-XP4, CSA, News And Events

By “Wole Fatunbi”

The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa participated actively in the discussion organized by the AICCRA project through the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), at The Urban Hotel, Lusaka Zambia between 19th -21st August 2024. The discussion engaged more than 30 intellectuals representing key continental and regional organizations and leading countries in Eastern and South Africa. The gathering discussed how to leverage Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) Multi-stakeholders’ platforms for sustainable investment and action.

It is well known that CSA is the way to ensure that Africa continues to feed its teaming population and sustain the agrarian livelihood on the continent. The actualization of this feat needs good science and investments. Circumventing the negative effects of climate change will need smart preparation in terms of generating adaptable technologies and putting the right infrastructures in place. While this is acceptable to all stakeholders, putting together the right investment strategies at all levels remains the next hurdle to scale in Africa. It is apparent that the right investment will be made at the country level to leverage the power of science and key infrastructures to ensure resilience. Africa needs to increase its investment in irrigation facilities and to optimize the existing irrigation schemes for delivery. Investment in soil health and fertilizer systems is required to ensure sustainable production for smart livelihood also needs to be considered.

I am of the opinion that Africa needs to think about the sustainability of the current food system; we need to think green. I observe that front-line countries are already investing in food production systems that avoid the risks of traditional open-field productions; they are increasing food production from the protected greenhouse systems, hydroponics, aeroponics, and other urban agriculture-compliant systems.

Advancing the need for great partnerships among stakeholders and partner organizations is the way to go. Since 2021, FARA commenced the development of the “Africa Climate Smart Agriculture Framework” (ACSAF), which represents a Science-based response to the agriculture components of the Africa Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy and Action Plan (2022-2032); this is an instrument developed by the Africa Union Commission to be used by all stakeholders within and outside the continent as a guide for investment and action. The FARA presentations at the conference explicate the importance of the ACSAF and its merit to advance the African Climate Smart Agriculture and deliver the African agriculture we want in compliance with Agenda 2063.

Bringing ACSAF to the fore is vital to ensuring that African agriculture becomes truly “Climate Smart.”

Optimizing the China-Africa Cooperation on Agricultural Science and Innovation

by Shaquille Pennaneach | Jun 19, 2024 | 2IPS, News And Events, Press Release

wirtten by ‘Wole Fatunbi (Ph.D)

A conference of about 100 high-level scientists and leaders of thought in Africa and China was held between the 12th and 13th of June 2024 at the Hilton Hotel Conference Room in Sanya Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City, China. The two-day conference organized by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the FAO South-South and Triangular Cooperation Division deliberated on the status of African agricultural research and innovation and how to optimize the partnership between China as a large country and the African continent with its 55 independent countries.

Africa and China have the largest populations in the world, recent estimates place the two continents as having about 1.4 billion inhabitants each, erstwhile both continents have the debilitating problem of extreme poverty and food insecurity. But China seems to have overcome its challenge with over 40 years of effort to become an industrial economy with a mere 0.7% poverty rate representing an unprecedented fall from 88% in 1981. Today China is a major player in the production and export of agricultural commodities and a key source of industrial machinery and lots of domestic products sold across the globe. While China keeps growing, Africa is yet to gain strong traction in implementing its growth pathways or rather yet to bring poverty and food insecurity down to a reasonably low level. Available statistics indicated that the poverty level in Africa was 56% in 1990, it came down to 43% in 2012 and in 2019 33.8%, indicating a consistent reduction and suggesting the need to increase technical and political efforts on the key drivers of poverty reduction.

China certainly got it right and has a lot of lessons to share with Africa on how it navigates its economic and industrial growth. Its investment into science, technology generation, infrastructural development, right policies, great leadership, and cultivation of loyalty and civility with its citizens contributed to its success. The deep-seated Asian-like politeness and the act of showing regard for others is at the base of China’s willingness to share its scientific breakthroughs with Africa. This is evident in its different cooperation with African countries in the last decade; the most obvious is its finance of different structural projects across African countries; the development of trade treaties with countries and the growing exchanges of technologies in agriculture.

The central question is “How do we optimize the cooperation to deliver the development outcomes we need in Africa?

Discussion in the conference pointed out the need for Africa to craft its pathway to development. Africa is unique in many ways and cannot outrightly be compared with any other continent in the world; it cannot copy the pathways of other continents with success. However, it could learn key lessons from the successes of others and adapt it to its socio-economic, political, cultural and natural resource base. The introduced Chinese technologies need to be adapted to the local context in Africa, recent observations with introduced agricultural processing and industrial machineries from China on their serviceable years or how long they lasts showed the need to run strong adaptation of the machineries to general behaviors of users in Africa. An old slogan of the Peugeot automobile Nigeria limited is instructive, it said “Built for Nigerian Roads”. Machines that will serve Africa conditions must be built for Africa, it must be rugged, use multiple power sources, with less electronics and more electrical and mechanical components, more user serviceable parts etc.

The Chinese science and technology cooperation in Africa agriculture needs to be coordinated and the focus needs to be defined. A bilateral relationship of a specific laboratory in China with another laboratory in Africa could not be called the China-Africa cooperation. A truly continental effort needs to give cognizance to the existing agricultural research coordination architecture in Africa and uses it as its entry point. This will ensure effective coordination of the efforts, monitoring of progress, lesson learning, and scaling of lessons and proven technologies for broad-based continental impact.

The upcoming China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance (CAASTIA), which was initiated by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the African Academy of Sciences, has huge potential to promote effective partnerships and exchanges between African agricultural stakeholders and that of China. It was advised that FARA would play a constructive role in coordinating and implementing CAASTIA activities, to ensure its effective formation and operation.

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