An excerpt:

Earlier this month, we launched the Africa Regional Hub for Fertilizer and Soil Health, a groundbreaking initiative to enhance agricultural productivity and food security while addressing climate challenges. The Hub, financed to the tune of $10 million for the next five years by the World Bank through the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) project, aims to implement and coordinate subregional programs for monitoring soil health and fertility in Africa.

Challenges for agricultural productivity, including climate change, pose serious threats to the livelihoods and well-being of millions of people across Africa. One main cause of this is the health and fertility of the continent's soils. Two-thirds of the land available for production is considered degraded, resulting in low crop and livestock yields, poverty, and the decline of natural resources. The average fertilizer application rate in Sub Saharan Africa is 22 kilograms per hectare, compared to a world average seven-times higher (146 kilograms per hectare), while skyrocketing and highly volatile fertilizer prices reduce their application even further. Moreover, the fertilizers applied are not always suitable to the needs of the soil and crops, or can be of low quality, and complementary inputs and advisory services are usually missing leading to low efficiency and sometimes even further soil degradation in the long run. 

Building soil health and system resilience

One crucial solution is integrated soil fertility management, which involves the use of larger doses and better mixes of inorganic and organic fertilizers, as well as the implementation of sustainable agronomic practices.

By addressing the challenges of poor soil health and fertility, Africa can make significant progress in eliminating poverty and ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come. The newly launched Africa Regional Hub for Fertilizer and Soil Health, spearheaded by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and supported by the World Bank and consortium of key institutions and industry stakeholders, is a concerted effort to improve soil health and agricultural practices. It will leverage the strengths of each partner to drive agronomic gains and support sustainable agricultural practices with a focus on information sharing, knowledge management, capacity development, agronomic recommendations, policy support, advocacy, and resource mobilization.

Other World Bank-supported initiatives such as the West and East Africa Food System Resilience Programs (FSRPs) are providing essential fertilizer inputs to hundreds of thousands of farmers in the region, designing and implementing pilots for repurposing fertilizer support programs, and conducting analytical work on public expenditure reviews.

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Authors

Chakib Jenane, Regional Director for Sustainable Development, West and Central Africa, World Bank

Katie Kennedy Freeman, Senior Agriculture Economist, World Bank