REGIONAL SOIL PARTNERSHIP

African soil partnership

SEYNI D. Fatouma

July 2014 GSP Plenary

Rome

PLAN Introduction

GSP Africa /Soil Status

Soil Institutions in Africa

Soils Experts in Africa

African Soil Partnership

Actors

Abuja Declaration- Progress

Implication- Constraints and needs

The way fowards Regional Soil Partnership

GSP Pillars / Regional Activities

LAUNCH WORKSHOP OF GLOBAL SOIL PARTNERSHIP IN AFRICA

To present soil status, needs and Priorities in the regions

Need to strengthen soil institutions / capacity development and investment in sustainable soil management

practices. Full support of GSP

Accra Feb 2013, for West and Central Africa SP Nairobi, March 2013, for East and Southern Africa

SP

22 National Soil Institutions

Draft priority Actions

1. Updating and upgrading of soil information

2. Addressing soil degradation

3. Implementation of sustainable soil management

with focus on soil health/fertility

4. Capacity development in all the soil related

applications

21 National Soil Institutions and Regional Soil

Institutions and Initiatives

Priority actions

1. Developing, updating and disseminating

harmonized soil information

2. Developing and implementing training and

capacity development programs

3. Guiding and enabling the implementation of

sustainable soil management practices and

restoration of soil health

4. Addressing soil degradation

SOIL INSTITUTIONS IN AFRICA

Very Few National Soil Institutes / Bureau National des sols Gap to be filled

NARIs Soil Departments/Soil Labs.NRM

Universities Soil Department

Private sector Bureau d’Etudes/Drawing office

SSS 18 National To be increased

3 Regional

SOIL EXPERTS

Challenge in Agricultural Education Gap to be filled

More challenge in research

and in Soil

Source: world Bank 2009

FOCUS ON SOILS- IT DOESN’T RANK HIGHLY IN THE LIST OF AFRICA'S NATURAL

RESOURCES

Ethiopia

CROSS-COUNTRY COMPARISONS OF KEY INDICATORS

2008-2011

Total number of

researchers, 2011

Growth in number of

researchers, 2008–2011

FTEs

Male

%

Female

%

Burkina Faso 218.0 –12% 3.05 89 11

Mali 307.0 –4% 9.8 78 22

Senegal 112.2 –16% 2.85 81 19

Mauritania 62.9 –12

Ghana 607.0 22%

Tanzania 814.8 18% 4.7 74 26

Kenya 1,150.9 13%

Uganda 353.9 13%

Ethiopia 1,876.6 33% 5.8 91 9

Benin 155.7 28% 9.6 88 12

Togo

114.7 71%

ASTI (2011)

AFRICAN SOIL PARTNERSHIP

AFRICAN SOIL PARTNERSHIP

ACTORS

Farmers/consumers

Extension people

Researchers

National Institutions (NARIs, Universities)

International Institutions

Regional Institutions

NGOs, Investors & Private sector (agro dealers)

RECs

Decisions/policy makers

Actors

Bodies that cooperate for strengthening agricultural development To eradicate hunger / MDG1

Decision makers

Technical Bodies

Farmers

Successful

implementation

Stability/Continuity in Action

IN REALITY…TOOTHED GEARS ARE NOT INTERLINKED

Decision makers

P1 Goal6

Technical Bodies

Not enough

investment

Problem of

Implementatio

n

Duplication/ Forgotten

soil, Lack of

coordination in dvpt

value chain

Sirte 2004

Maputo 2003

Abuja 2006

Lusaka 2012

Regional agreement for

ECOWAP implementation

Extensive agriculture to increase production

Investors

Private Sector

More Actions needed

Less Words

THE ABUJA DECLARATION - STATUS OF IMPLEMENTATION

Identified gaps from actions since declaration

From the 12 resolutions, none of them is fully implemented,

Both RECs and Countries should develop and implement (M&E) framework to monitor and

evaluate progress in implementation of the Abuja Declaration on Fertilizer and get reliable feed

back

Review questionnaire enabling countries to respond for more representative data

Technically, Abuja Declaration does not go far enough in implementing resolutions to foster

African soil health for African Green Revolution

Main Constraints Group of Actors NEEDS/Opportunities to increase crop

production in Africa

Increases in production come from

expanding arable land

Farmers & extension people

Access to fertilizers, seeds and other inputs

Smart & intensive agriculture

Access, Credit, market & Technologies

Poor perceptions of agriculture as a

profession

Soil issues underestimated

Loss of many highly qualified

researchers

Duplication of activities

Lack of communication &

coordination bodies

Inadequate or outmoded infrastructures

Declining number of researchers

/recruitment restrictions= low FTEs

Ageing staff /researchers

Technical Bodies

Improve Soil Program in Tertiary education

Improve agricultural careers Attractiveness (soil sciences)

Adequate knowledge to reinforce the technical capabilities

Recruitment of skilled and younger soil scientists

Strengthening Soil Sciences Societies

Increase overall levels of research funding

Coordination/exchange mechanisms between Institutions

Promote development and adoption of ISFM

Main Problems Group of Actors Opportunities to increase

production

Difficulties in implementing

resolutions

In practice, resource allocation

does not reflect the importance of

agriculture nor NR

Instability (National Program,

guardianship/ Agriculture…)

Policy makers detached from soil

scientists

Policy makers-Decision

Bodies

Strong and commitment to achieve the

African Green Revolution by

implementing resolutions

Stability for NAIP and continuity

More investment in Agriculture

Long term commitment: prioritization of

soil and soil sciences at the Top of

International priority

Create stakeholder platforms to set

system wide priorities

Develop guidance, strategies or policies

on sustainable use of fertilizer

Implication –Constraints and Needs

THE WAY TOWARDS REGIONAL SOIL PARTNERSHIP

Level Actors Policy Makers NARI Dvpt Partner/

private sector

Tertiary

Education

Promote regional partnerships for

capacity Development Program

according to the priorities in the

region- Universities

Regional Program to address soil Regional scholarship’s

funding

R & D Establish competitive research funds

for soil

Develop a regional agricultural

research and extension framework

Regional centers of excellence in

agricultural and natural resource

management training

Establish African Soil Profiles

Database

Soil Sciences Networking

Directory of Experts and

Institutions

Regional capacity Development

program on soil digital mapping

(including land management, soil

classification and soil fertility

maps)

Regional Soil

Information Systems.

THE WAY FOWARDS REGIONAL SOIL PARTNERSHIP CTD

Level Actors Policy Makers NARI Dvpt Partner/ private

sector

Institutional

Management

Strategic advocacy and cooperation at

regional level

Regional legal framework for the quality

control of fertilizers within the region.

Develop/support agro-dealer networks

Reference/regional

laboratories

Regional priority

projects

Regional networks of soil

science institutions

Financing Elimination of taxes and tariffs on fertilizer

and on fertilizer raw materials

Finance part of AFFM with Carbon offset

Credit

Legislation to improve and

provide credit guarantee to

commercial banks / finance

agro-dealers.

Commit funds to make the

AFFM operational

PROPOSED ACTIVITIES RELATED TO GSP PILLARS

GSP Pillars Proposed Activities (medium term)

1. Promote sustainable management of soil resources

for soil protection, conservation and sustainable

productivity

Implementation of Centers of Excellence in NRM training

2. Encourage Investment, Technical Cooperation,

Policy, Education, Awareness and Extension

Encourage Creation of National Soil Institutes

3. Promote targeted soil research and development

focusing on identified gaps, priorities and

synergies with related productive, environmental and

social development actions

Develop a regional agricultural research and extension

framework

4. Building an enduring and authoritative global system

to monitor and forecast the condition of the Earth’s soil

resources

Establishment of Soil Experts Directory in Africa

Soil Institution networking

Establish African Soil Profiles Database

5. Harmonization of methods, measurements and

indicators for the sustainable management and

protection of soil resources

Reference Laboratories in sub-regions

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR AFRICAN SOIL EXPERTS DIRECTORY

Name

Age Country Gender

Grade/Title

Discipline

Speciality

Institution (NARI, University, Other)

How many institutions are dealing with soil in the country

List of the institutions

Years of experience

Publications

Infrastructure Approriate Inappropriate

MERCI