From: the International Center for Tropical Agriculture
Published January 13, 2009 08:17 AM
New digital map of Africa's depleted soils to offer
insights critical for boosting food production
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Alliance for a Green Revolution
in Africa award $18 million to International Center for Tropical Agriculture
Nairobi, Kenya (13 January 2009)—Responding to sub-Saharan Africa's soil
health crisis, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)
announced today an ambitious new effort to produce the first-ever, detailed
digital soil map for all 42 countries of the region. This project combines
the latest soil science and technology with remote satellite imagery and
on-the-ground efforts to analyze thousands of soil samples from remote areas
across the continent to help provide solutions for poor farmers, who suffer
from chronically low-yielding crops largely because of degraded soils.
Efforts to improve African soils, which are among the most depleted on
earth, have been hampered by a lack of up-to-date, comprehensive knowledge
about current soil conditions. This information is critical to identify the
types and amounts of mineral and organic nutrient sources needed to increase
crop yields. The need for action is hard to ignore; according to FAO, one in
three people - or 236 million (2007) — in Sub-Saharan Africa are chronically
hungry.
The African Soil Information Service, or AfSIS, will respond to that need by
making up-to-date assessments of soil properties. Researchers will probe the
landscape of sub-Saharan Africa, using a variety of highly accurate digital
soil mapping techniques to create detailed soil maps, which will be
available on the Internet. Data provided by AfSIS at the regional, national
and local levels will help farmers and agricultural experts identify the
best options for sustainably improving crop production through better soil
management.
Work on AfSIS is supported through a four-year grant of US$18 million
from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Alliance for a Green
Revolution in Africa (AGRA). CIAT's Nairobi-based Tropical Soil Biology and
Fertility (TSBF) Institute will lead the effort. The new digital soil map
will ultimately be developed as part of a global soil mapping initiative,
called GlobalSoilMap.net.
"Soil management in sub-Saharan Africa must be improved dramatically if we
are to reduce poverty, feed growing populations and cope with the impact of
climate change on agriculture," said Dr. Nteranya Sanginga of CIAT, which is
one of 15 centers supported by the Consultative Group on International
Agricultural Research (CGIAR). "Achieving this requires accurate, up-to-date
information on the state of Africa's soils."
"This project will benefit farm families in Africa by showing how they can
reverse the trend of declining soil fertility, a major reason for slow
growth in the region's agricultural productivity during recent decades,"
said Dr. Namanga Ngongi, president of AGRA.
AfSIS will use innovative remote sensing technology via satellite to create
detailed images of large areas indicating nutrients, moisture and organic
matter in the soil. It will also use infrared spectroscopy to analyze the
chemical and physical properties and organic matter of soil samples.
Commonly used in the medical industry, this latter technique is now being
used in agriculture, to perform quick assessments of the soil's capacity to
retain water and absorb nutrients.
All soil information will be collected and made available via the Internet
in a user-friendly manner. AfSIS experts will offer training to agricultural
extension agents and others on how to interpret and translate information
provided by the soil map for practical application.
Agricultural policy makers will find the information helpful for developing
recommendations about the types, blends and amounts of fertilizers and other
soil supplements that are most appropriate for improving harvests in
particular regions. The project will pinpoint areas where soils are at risk
and provide detailed information on interventions that have proved effective
for deterring soil degradation. The data will also provide insights on the
environmental and human factors (such as weather patterns and population
growth) associated with soil degradation and with the improvement of soil
health.
"Helping small farmers increase their yields and incomes is one of the most
important things that world can do to alleviate hunger and poverty," said
Dr. Rajiv Shah, director of Agricultural Development at the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation. "Access to better information about their soil will
empower African farmers to use methods tailored to their conditions so they
can boost their productivity and build better lives."
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Partners in the effort include the Earth Institute at Columbia University,
the World Soil Information (ISRIC) at Wageningen University in The
Netherlands and the Nairobi-based World Agroforestry Center.
AfricanSoils.net will initiate collaboration with national agricultural
research programs across Africa, including the establishment of regional
soil health laboratories in Tanzania, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, and Malawi.
About the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)
CIAT is a not-for-profit organization that conducts socially and
environmentally progressive research aimed at reducing hunger and poverty
and preserving natural resources in developing countries. CIAT is one of the
15 centers funded mainly by the 58 countries, private foundations, and
international organizations that make up the Consultative Group on
International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). For more information, please
visit: www.ciat.cgiar.org
About the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
AGRA is a dynamic partnership working across the African continent to help
millions of small-scale farmers and their families lift themselves out of
poverty and hunger. AGRA programmes develop practical solutions to
significantly boost farm productivity and incomes for the poor while
safeguarding the environment. AGRA advocates for policies that support its
work across all key aspects of the African agricultural value chain — from
seeds, soil health and water to markets and agricultural education.
AGRA's Board of Directors is chaired by Kofi A Annan, former
Secretary-General of the United Nations. Dr Namanga Ngongi, former Deputy
Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme, is AGRA's
president. With support from The Rockefeller Foundation, the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation, the UK's Department for International Development and
other donors, AGRA works across sub-Saharan Africa and maintains offices in
Nairobi, Kenya, and Accra, Ghana. For more information, visit:
www.agra-alliance.org
About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In
developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving
them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the
United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the
fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in
school and life. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes
and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda
Gates and Warren Buffett. For more information, please visit:
www.gatesfoundation.org |