Soil health emerged as a crucial issue at the recently concluded Conference of Parties (COP29) during the climate change negotiations in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Scientists and researchers from Uganda and Tanzania, as well as different civil society organisations (CSOs), argue that soil health is one of the most overlooked issues in different COP discussions despite being a core element in environmental conservation and food security.
In addition, soils with quite good health hold greater water retention potential and make them resilient to harsh weather events like heavy-persistent rainfall and drought caused by climate change.
“Yes, improving soil health could be one of the key global climate strategies contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation,” said Dr. Jibril Semakura Owomugisha, an environment restoration specialist from the Ministry of Water and Environment, adding that it is both timely and essential for Uganda and other East African nations to look at financing for soil health.
“For instance, in Uganda, over 65% of the population depends on agriculture, which contributes over 24% of our Gross Domestic Profit (GDP), according to the financial year report of 2022-2023,” he stated.
Owomugisha, who also serves as Uganda’s Representative to the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021/2030, believes that enhancing agriculture through proper fertilization can improve the livelihoods of the local communities.
According to the expert, this initiative starts with prioritising soil health. “How best can we finance these efforts? How best can we finance regenerative agriculture? We have to look at all these plans to boost agriculture and protect the environment,” he emphasized.
In addition, they stress that the focus is mainly on the sustainable use of land for continued food production. It includes the promotion of agroforestry, whereby trees such as coriander and insulata, known for their ability to produce nitrogen in the soils, should be considered key role players in soil health.
“Inter-cropping the nitrogen-fixing trees with our local crops, such as beans, maize usually ensures sustainable soil regeneration, especially when properly combined with the use of organic fertilizers like humus, is necessary and useful,” he stated.
Uganda has committed to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, emphasising increasing forest cover and reducing emissions critical to soil health. While restoring forests and recovering degraded lands, it’s also important to acknowledge the role of healthy soils in carbon sequestration and food security.
Soil health largely forms the backbone of agricultural systems supporting over 65% of the country’s population. ” It directly impacts crop yields, water retention, and the ability to withstand climate changes.
And through agroforestry and regenerative agriculture initiatives, Uganda looking at integrating nitrogen-fixing species and fruit trees into farming systems,” he said.
Still, he noted, by restoring forests and embracing sustainable agriculture practices, the country creates a holistic approach that supports ecological health and strengthens community well-being.
“At the same time, we expect an increase in the outcome that is in the product. Similarly, we have programs against plastic pollution or non-biodegradable pollutants. In this way, I mean the polythene bags, the plastics, that before they go into landfills, we have other ways of recycling, reusing, that’s at the country level,” the official stated.
In this way, e added, they aim at promoting soil health, through soil financing, and agriculture will be at a stable rate through the government program, the supporting, we have agricultural loans available for our farmers.
Farmer Federation
A soil researcher from Eastern Africa Farmers Federation, a regional network of national apex farmer federations and cooperatives in East Africa, emphasised the importance of recognising that soil is the largest sink of carbon.
According to Stephen Moshiri, the federation’s Chief Executive Officer, it is unfortunate that many countries in East Africa have not put soil health first.
“Most prominent soil-related programs focus on fertilizer applications, subsidies, and similar initiatives,” he recounts, adding that national research systems prioritize livestock over soil issues.
It’s mostly the CGIAR Research Center, which is a non-profit research organisation that conducts innovative research on the soil. “Several programs exclude soil because achieving measurable outcomes takes longer than a three-year funding cycle.
Why, then, soil and soil health?
Soil testing is important whether for rapid assessment of alkalinity and acidity in the soil or testing for a broader assessment to look at the nutritional composition of the soil.
This year alone, the International Institute of Sustainable Development released a report on the state of soils in East Africa.
Shockingly, the report revealed that at least people know that our soils in the region are very acidic due to the fertilizer application and very low organic carbon.
“Meaning we’ve been releasing carbon into the air. So, we need soil testing as a battle principle,” the researcher stated.
In addition, Moshiri emphasised the actual need to focus on agriculture life. Acacia lime is important in terms of managing acidity. However, lime is not very common in smallholder farmers. So, it’s a product that needs to be introduced to farmers. We probably need to introduce it through subsidy,” he noted.
To achieve this, governments need to build the capacity of farmers actually to see the reasoning behind the use of acacia lime. “It’s very bulky, but it’s important. We’re going to achieve and attain productivity,” he added.
In East Africa, agricultural production has gradually declined, and it’s reaching a critical point where the return on investment of one hectare is unattainable.
The researcher explains that this trend scares a lot of smallholder farmers who rely on small parcels of land. “Therefore, if soil degradation remains unchecked, many farmers may not be able to sustain themselves in the future,” he warned.
Still, the issue of inorganic fertilizers is what has brought the East African region to where it is, according to Moshiri.
Farmers
In a bid to mitigate the effects of climate change and improve soils to ensure high returns, some farmers have adopted permaculture.
This is a practical method of developing ecologically harmonious and efficient production systems that can be used anywhere.
Permaculture involves recycling every element that creates life in the soil, according to Charles Mugarura, a researcher and chief executive officer of Broadfield Enterprise Uganda.
Although permaculture may appear similar to organic farming, the two are different. Mugarura explains that this method of farming does not involve the use of chemicals that affect the soil.
In organic farming, on the other hand, farmers use solutions such as those from red pepper to kill pests and end up destroying useful organisms.
“Permaculture focuses mainly on three aspects, care for the earth, care for people, and fair share. It promotes human-nature coexistence, where one can engage in economic activity without destroying the environment,” Mugarura noted.
One strategy in permaculture includes growing trees to increase greenery to absorb emissions from the atmosphere, he explains.
The products of this model are natural, given that toxic chemicals are not used during production. Such products have a high demand on local and international markets, he added.
Once given attention, soil health can save farmers like Anthanathius Buligwanga, a prominent organic farmer in Kalisizo town council. He is among a few farmers doing agro-ecology.
“I chose this method to protect soil health and conserve the environment for better yields. And it’s paying off; I wish this is applied elsewhere to save and replenish the soil,” Buligwanga stated.
African soils’ potential
The Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit held in May in Nairobi, Kenya, comprehensively reviewed the state of Africa’s soil health to adjust the strategies being deployed to boost the productivity of soils towards higher and sustainable gains in crop yields, economic growth, and the overall well-being of the African citizenry.
It further sought to evaluate the state of Africa’s soil health, while reviewing the progress made since previous commitments by African leaders to boost fertilizer use for agricultural growth in Africa.
The Call-to-Action summit appealed to all stakeholders to pay attention to the needs of the land in terms of soil nutrients, soil moisture, essential minerals, soil organisms, the impact of climate change, and consider adopting regenerative practices, policies, and approaches that will improve the long term value of land as a critical asset for farmers.
In addition, the goal is to unlock the potential of Africa feeding Africa, and Africa feeding the world. This calls for regional cooperation in fertilizer policy, research and development, investment pooling for production capacity, facilitating cross-border trade, and promoting collaborative research, capacity building, and sharing of best practices for agricultural development.
According to AU, it will also be prudent to identify local organic sources that can be leveraged locally to manufacture and blend fertilizers to decrease the overdependence on global markets while shortening the supply chain.
“A significant USD15 billion of private sector investment will be needed to increase the local manufacturing of mineral fertilizers. For accelerated impact, the target is to triple the local production of organic and inorganic fertilizers by 2033,” AU stated.
This story was produced as part of the 2024 Climate Change Media Partnership, a journalism fellowship organised by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network and the Stanley Center for Peace and Security.
