Status and challenges of soil h lth t i Af i health management in Africa

Launch of Global Soil Partnership in Eastern and Southern Africa Jacaranda Hotel, Nairobi25-27 March 2013

Agricultural productivity and poverty

5 420

East AsiaSub-Saharan Africareduction

5

6

49

20

47

29

18

3

4

Yield (t/ha)

53 51

7834

0

1

21 5 9 3 7 1 5 9 3 7 1 5

Y

1981 2005 1981

17

2005

196

196

1969

197

1977

198

198

1989

199

1997

200

200

Eastern Africa  Southern Africa 

Western Africa  Eastern Asia 

On average 43 million tons of food costing about $7 5 billion is imported annually to

Total no of people (m) <$1.25/day

212 388 1071

316

>$2.5/day $1.25-$2.5/day<$1.25/day

On average 43 million tons of food costing about $7.5 billion is imported annually to feed the hungry in Sub-Saharan Africa

Source: World Bank “PovCalNet” database, 2009

Annual Nutrient DepletionAnnual Nutrient Depletion

Unhealthy soilsUntamed water

Climate Change is affecting African AgriculturePredicted Change in Distribution of Agro‐ecological Zones with (CCC Scenario), 2003 – 2100e

OBSERVED CCC 2100

Desert

High elevation dry savannahHigh elevation humid forestHigh elevation moist savannah

Lowland dry savannah

Legend

Lowland dry savannahLowland humid forestLowland moist savannahLowland semi-arid

Lowland sub-humid

Mid-elevation dry savannah

Source: “How Will Climate Change Shift Agro-Ecological Zones and Impact African Agriculture?” , P.Kurukulasuriya & R. Mendelsohn

Mid-elevation humid forests

Mid-elevation moist savannah

Mid-elevation sub-humid

Relative cost of food aidRelative cost of food aid

• To increase farmers access to seeds  fertilizers for them to produce an extra ton of maize ($135)

• To buy a ton of maize locally and distribute it  ($320)

• To buy, ship and distribute  a ton of US maize in Africa 

($ )

Source: Sanchez, P. 2009: A smarter way to combat hunger. Nature, 458, 12.

($812)

, ,

A h t f tili tFertilizer use

Sub-Saharan Africa 8

Average per hectare fertilizer use rates as kilograms of nutrients (NPK) by fertilizer markets in 2008/09

Sub Saharan Africa

Africa

Eurasia

South Africa

Central America

21

47

47

25

Developing Markets Developed Markets

Transitional Markets World

Central America

Oceania

West Asia

North America

47

75

49

89

North Africa

Latin America

World

South America

94

100

117

107

Central Europe

South Asia

Western Europe

Asia

130

182

134

117

Asia

East Asia 255

Source: IFDC; derived from FAO data

As AGRA's largest program, the  Soil Health Program (SHP) plays an integrative role in promoting soil health 

and farmer productivity

AGRA, founded in 2006 in partnership between the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Rockefeller Foundation, is focused on catalyzing an African green revolution by promoting rapid and sustainable agricultural development among Africa's smallholder farmers.

AGRA’s organization‐wide goals for 2020 are:

– Reduce food insecurity by 50% in at least 20 countries1

– Double the incomes of 20 million smallholder families

– Put at least 15 countries on track for attaining and sustaining an African Green Revolution

2

3

AGRA’s  Soil Health Program, was set up in early 2008 and became operational in 2009, with the following primary goals:

– Efficient and economically sustainable supply of fertilizer to farmers in Africa

– Uptake of appropriate ISFM technology packages by smallholder farmers 

– Create an enabling environment upon which other organizations can build and 

1

2

3 g p gengage

3

AGRA programsAGRA programs

13 countries and counting 13 countries and counting …

South Sudan

New countries –LiberiaSierra LeoneSouth Sudan

Some early Some early successes successes

Micro-dose technology has great i l

gy gpotential

‘Coke Cap’Microdosing

Yields of staple crops more than doubled

• Targets to increase cereal yields from 1 ton/ha to 3 tons/hay

Target has been achieved

• Targets to increase area under • Targets to increase area under ISFM tech by 2 million ha, of which 1.2 million ha (60%) should be under cereal crops.

Achievement: 0.5 million ha under ISFM tech with cereal area being 340 000 cereal area being 340,000 ha and legumes area 160,000 ha

Effect of fertilizer use on maize grain yield across different countries

Yields of legumes increasing with ISFM interventions

2.5

1.5

2

(t h

a-1

)

P+innoculation

•50-100% increase0.5

1

Yie

ld P+innoculation

With P

Without P

50 100% increase

•170,000 ha under

0Kenya Ghana Rwanda Uganda Zambia Tanzania

Country

legumes (22% of target)Country

Effect of phosphorus and rhizobium inoculum application

on soybean yield

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