Youth-Led Soil Data Brief: Demystifying Soil Health Data
Background
The Coalition of Action for Soil Health (CA4SH), through the #Youth4Soil Initiative, is launching a Youth-Led Soil Data Brief focused on demystifying soil health data and strengthening youth engagement in soil data ecosystems.
Healthy soil underpins food security, climate resilience, ecosystem restoration, and economic stability. Yet soil data remains fragmented, technical, and often inaccessible to those who need it most, including young professionals, early-career researchers, and youth advocates.
This brief builds on insights from the January 2026 workshop on “Establishing an Ecosystem of Soil Data-Driven Services to Meet the Global Fertilizer and Soil Health Challenge,” co-implemented by Norad, Varda Foundation, CIFOR-ICRAF, and CA4SH. The workshop underscored a clear call to action: soil data must be democratized, accessible, and usable, especially by youth, to ensure continuity, innovation, and long-term sustainability of soil health efforts.
Youth4Soil and the Role of Youth
CA4SH launched the #Youth4Soil Initiative in 2024 to leverage its global network of over 300 members, many of which are youth-led or youth-engaged organizations.
Through #Youth4Soil, the Coalition:
Fosters relationships between youth organizations
Supports skill building and mentorship
Connects young professionals with soil health experts
Elevates youth voices in global soil health advocacy
This Youth-Led Soil Data Brief builds on that foundation by ensuring that soil data ecosystems are understandable, inclusive, and shaped by youth perspectives.
Previous Youth-Led Brief
In 2024, CA4SH and #Youth4Soil co-developed a brief highlighting youth approaches to scaling soil health, including innovation, policy advocacy, community engagement, and research.
How to Contribute
CA4SH invites members and partners to provide:
Youth perspectives on barriers to accessing or understanding soil data
Case studies of youth using soil data for innovation, research, or advocacy
Insights on data governance, transparency, and ownership
Recommendations for making soil data more accessible and actionable
Contributions may include written inputs, examples, or participation in a co-development session.
Timeline
Draft development: February-April 2026
Youth-led consultations: April 2026
Launch: 12 August 2026 (International Youth Day)
Contact
To contribute, please contact:
Sussana Phiri
Youth4Soil & Membership Lead, CA4SH
membership@coalitionforsoilhealth.org
Daniela Solis
Coordination & Events Lead, CA4SH
coordination@coalitionforsoilhealth.org
