A GLOBAL COALITION TO IMPROVE SOIL HEALTH

The AfroGrow project promotes sustainable agroforestry ecosystems in six African countries. The project’s approach includes robust monitoring of biophysical, vegetation, and climate indicators to assess the efficacy of the agroforestry systems and approaches being applied in context. This also enables reliable, cross-site comparisons of soil physical properties, soil moisture, vegetation, microclimate, and meteorological data, which supports adaptive management and cross-country learning.

From 23-29 August 2026, the AfroGrow project hosted an in-person training workshop in Makueni, Kenya to foster knowledge exchange between the project countries, facilitate collaboration, and bring to life the tools and protocols that support multifunctional agroforestry systems monitoring.

On 20 August 2026, SoilHive reached an important milestone: its code became fully open source.

Developed through the Norad-funded initiative Establishing an Ecosystem of Soil Data-Driven Services to Meet the Global Fertilizer and Soil Health Challenge, the new release is about more than opening up a piece of technology. It is part of a wider effort to rethink how soil data is shared, accessed and ultimately put to work.

By Olanrewaju E. Adeyemi, Ph.D. Student, Plant, Soils, and Climate Department, Utah State University

Cover crops are often promoted as a win for soil health. They can reduce erosion and nutrient losses, improve water infiltration, contribute organic matter, suppress weeds, and provide other benefits that extend well beyond a single growing season. Yet despite these benefits, adoption remains limited in many agricultural regions. One reason is surprisingly straightforward: a practice can be good for the soil, good for water quality, and good for society without immediately benefiting a farmer’s bottom line. That distinction matters.

Food security is a collective effort, and at the Africa Food Systems Forum 2026 in Kigali, soil health was at the center of that conversation. 

Across several sessions during the week, CA4SH and partners joined discussions about a question that underlies many of the challenges facing Africa’s food systems: how do we get better evidence, smarter investment and more effective support to the farmers and communities managing the continent’s soils?

27 August 2026, Ulaanbaatar | At UNCCD COP17 Mongolia, soil health was at the center of the agenda. It was present across negotiations, ministerial dialogues, side events, and the Action Agenda. The numbers give a sense of its scale: the Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH) network held 72 events alongside 90+ partners across the two weeks.