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?

A side event showcased rising global momentum for land restoration, with the Riyadh Action Agenda surpassing one hundred initiatives and the COP28 Action Agenda on Regenerative Landscapes mobilising more than USD nine billion in private investment.

From afar, scaling soil health by switching from traditional monocrop agricultural systems to regenerative systems may seem as easy as planting the right plants in the right spot. However transitioning to new systems usually sees farmers’ yields decrease before they increase, which can be a limiting factor for farmers who don’t have a financial cushion to fall back on. Support is needed to help them bridge the gap.

CA4SH is a multi-stakeholder partnership of member states, the private sector, research institutions, civil society, farmer organizations, multilateral organizations, NGOs, and more. Drawing on this wealth of knowledge, we organized the second installation of our 2024 Webinar Series: The road ahead for soil health action to explore different mechanisms to invest in soil health, making sure these investments reach smallholder farmers.