Agricultural resilience and soil management in Africa

Efforts to enhance food security and agricultural productivity in Africa have focused on climate resilience and soil health. In Southern Africa, new initiatives were launched to combat climate change, including Lesotho’s Building Climate Resilient Livelihoods and Food Systems (ReLiF) project, which targets improved water management and natural resource conservation. Additionally, the European Union and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) introduced the ATHAZ programme to support smallholder horticulture in Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Botswana through efficient water use and resilient seed systems.

Building on these resilience efforts, agricultural experts have increasingly emphasized the necessity of soil health and precision nutrient management. In Lesotho, specialists at the National Farmers Knowledge Exchange advocated for soil structure and pH testing to ensure effective fertilizer use. Similarly, in Nigeria, the 2026 Nigeria Fertiliser Summit on Phosphorus and Food Security highlighted the need for increased investment in soil intelligence and digital technology to provide crop-specific fertilizer recommendations.