status and challenges of soil health in africa, bashir jama - agra, ghana

Status and challenges of soil

health in Africa

Bashir Jama

AGRA, Ghana

Presentation at the ‘Launch of Global Soil Partnership in

West and Central Africa’

4-6 April, 2013

Labadi Beach hotel, Accra, Ghana

Outline

•Putting the problem into context

•Solution – fertilizer within integrated soil

fertility management practices; associated

challenges

•Opportunities scaling up emerging impacts

through country-level soil health consortia

and related partnership (GSP and others)

2

The Sahelian Drylands Area: 1.2m km2

Population: 38m

Millet & sorghum belt: 23m ha

Predominantly Alfisols and

Arenosols

Humid Forest Zone Area: 5.8m km2

Population: 168m

Cassava belt: 18m ha

Rice potential: 2m ha

Predominantly Oxisols and

Ultisols

Moist Savanna and

Woodland Zones Area: 4.4m km2

Population: 157m

Maize belt: 32m ha

CA potential: 7m ha

Predominantly Alfisols

The diversity of soils and crops in Africa calls for site specific ISFM recommendations

Key entry points: Unhealthy soils,

Untamed water

Nutrients on the move

I Increasing fertilizer supplies : starts with

improving ports

Accounts for

15-30% of the

C.I.F costs

7

Beira port, Mozambique

Support local production where feasible, e.g., Minjingu in Tanzania

Blends: 60,000 to 90,000 MT p.a. Opened outlets in Kenya in 2010 AFAP now improving access to financing

Awareness creation and training farmers

on fertilizer use is essential

Source: AGRA database (2012)

Fertilizer use closes maize yield across countries

10

Confidential

Microdose Control

Start small, e.g., fertilizer micro-dosing in

low rainfall areas

Increase agrodealer networks

• Over 14,000 trained

by AGRA and

partners

• Distance reduced to

< 2km in some

regions

• Providing extension

and advisory

services

11

Strengthening of fertilizer regulatory systems is

essential

12

POOR QUALITY FERTILIZER

Improve access to markets – will require strengthening farmers associations

Promote integration with legumes and organic sources of fertilizers

Improve access to financing – major challenge

• Link agro-dealers and

smallholder farmers to

financial institutions

• Develop attractive credit

guarantee schemes with

financial institutions

• Improve access to markets

for produce

15

No. of farmers using ISFM tech are increasing

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

2008 (startof SHP)

2009(baseline)

2010 2011 2012

No

. of

farm

ers

Mig

liaia

Years

Country–level Soil Health Consortia

established in 12 country

• Leverage resources

• Keep development

linked closely to

research

• Improve monitoring

process

• Improve information

sharing and capacity

development

• Provide GSP platform

for rapid progress

Thank you bjama@agra.org

www.agra.org