Sustainable food systems need healthy soils, yet little is done to scale up innovations and technologies to improve the condition and reverse the degradation of our soils. Protecting this vital resource is a shared responsibility for farmers, scientists, companies, consumers and governments to ensure we preserve the bedrock of our food. Several technology solutions and sustainable processes exist, but what is missing is their adoption in practice due to affordability and lack of knowledge, among other reasons. In a rapidly digitalizing world, data and technology applied directly to improving soil health could unlock a multitude of co-benefits, from better nutrition and carbon sequestration to restoring biodiversity, building resilient farmer livelihoods and improving water retention.
Innovations in precision agriculture, satellite imagery, sensor technology and artificial intelligence (AI) present excellent opportunities to restore and improve soil quality. While grappling with the threats of soil degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change, it is imperative for everyone to get on board and work together. Businesses that create soil health products require better awareness of how to produce appropriate and context-specific solutions while incorporating traditional knowledge that has protected our soils for millennia.
In Africa, where agriculture sustains millions of livelihoods while the population is poised to nearly double by 2050, there is an urgent need to act on food security. The imperative to ensure food security reaches beyond Africa to the world: holding 60% of the world’s remaining arable land, Africa’s potential to contribute significantly to global food networks is undeniable. Known for its production of maize, coffee, cocoa and various fruits, Africa plays a crucial role in the global agricultural landscape. However, the region faces challenges such as declining soil fertility and low soil organic carbon (SOC) levels and lacks adequate replenishment of those nutrients, exacerbating soil degradation. Climate change highlights this challenge, with extreme weather conditions disrupting agricultural productivity. Africa’s agricultural landscape is remarkably diverse, shaped by its varied climates and soils across different regions.
Despite the richness of its resources, however, sub-Saharan Africa remains a net food importer. While imports might make food affordable in the short term, they weaken local production systems and potentially compromise long-term food security. This fragility is felt more intensely when paired with adverse phenomena such as the severe drought afflicting East Africa. The system’s weakness can be seen in the 25% undernourishment rate affecting households. Acknowledging the magnitude of these challenges and Africa’s pivotal role in global food security, the World Economic Forum has brought significant attention to bear on the role of soil health in the pursuit of food security. As awareness among leaders and stakeholders grows, efforts are intensifying to narrow the yield gap and bolster agriculture’s resilience to climate change, with soil health taking centre stage. Unsustainable land use practices, climate change, nutrient depletion, soil acidification and soil erosion have been recognized as significant contributors to soil degradation over time.
To address these issues and restore and improve soil health, locally tailored practices that include agro-forestry, integrated soil fertility management, crop rotation, intercropping, diversification of crops or cover cropping must be adopted. Moreover, high-tech and data-based solutions should be used, such as app-based advisory and decision-support tools, spatially explicit mapping and monitoring of soils to prioritize interventions as well as track changes over time. Additionally, coupling the use of field-based surveys with advances in soil spectroscopy and drones for remote sensing and monitoring of soil properties such as moisture and temperature from above, together with sensors to continuously monitor SOC, pH and nutrient contents are key.
The outputs are fed into integrated systems that collect the data on soil, analyse it and support decision-making. Safeguarding soil health is a collective responsibility that demands collaborative action, which implies providing farmers with the proper training, as they are the crucial player in these efforts. Governments, international and regional organizations, the private sector, universities and civil society increasingly show an awareness of the key role that African farmers can play in feeding the world while maintaining sustainable farming practices. Public and private initiatives are already under way to realize this potential, promoting adoption at scale of regenerative practices and innovative technologies.
A Guest Editorial