The African Union (AU) will be holding its Africa Fertiliser and Soil Health (AFSH) Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, May 7-9, 2024. The AU is bringing together heads of state, ministers, and agricultural development partners in Africa because it recognises the critical role that fertiliser and soil health play in addressing these issues. The main goal of the conference is to begin implementing its initial promises through a 10-year Action Plan for related investments.
According to Dr. Shamie Zingore, Director of Research & Development at the African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI), the Africa Fertiliser and Soil Health Action Plan is a ten-year commitment to investments addressing the barriers farmers face for availability and affordability of fertiliser, lime, and complementary organic resources. Additionally, it will describe the vital systems and resources needed to support the technology farmers need in order to manage these resources successfully and efficiently.
APNI was brought in by the African Union and its development partners to spearhead the drafting of this guidance for investment by governments, the private sector, and development partners due to its core competency in enhanced plant nutrition for a resilient and food-secure Africa. Additionally, APNI played crucial roles in organising and facilitating AFSH itself.
In the end, Zingore says, “We want to shift Africa’s development trajectory towards a more sustainable one. Expanding upon the 10-Year Action Plan, AFSH will pinpoint the most important areas to allocate resources for, not just market and policy investments but also crucial technologies for managing soil health and sustainable plant nutrition across the continent. Accelerated support for developing research and extension capabilities is required to support these targets, ensuring that knowledge generation is applicable to African farmers and translates into scalable solutions for long-term enhancement of agricultural productivity throughout the continent.
