The Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda stands at a critical crossroads. Once buoyed by global humanitarian aid, its resident refugees from over five neighbouring nations are now caught in a deepening food crisis following the withdrawal of major food aid support. In this article, I explore a promising, scalable solution: regenerative agriculture rooted in community-based soil knowledge, sustainable agroforestry and permaculture practices, and self-reliant farming. With over 75% of Nakivale’s refugee population relying on agriculture as their primary economic activity, the soil represents more than land. It means our survival. By transforming Nakivale’s struggling smallholders into empowered stewards of their land, we can unlock food security, resilience, and dignity for over 171,000 displaced individuals.

The Climate Smart Agriculture Youth Network Global (GCSAYN), under the visionary leadership of its Executive Director, Mr. Divine Ntiokam, successfully convened the Inaugural Symposium on Monday, June 30, 2025. This event was held virtually via Zoom from 9:00am to 11:00am EST and brought together 70 participants from across Africa and beyond.

Organized through the collaborative efforts of the Strategic Planning, Program and Partnership, and Communications working groups (WGs), the symposium focused on building and strengthening capacity, as well as empowering the 4th Cohort of Interns from approved and pilot Centers of Excellence as key drivers of change in achieving the AU 2063 Agenda ‘The Africa We Want” and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ( 17 SDGs).

This Innovative Symposium drew inspiration from the recent GLOBE–NASA 24-hour 2025 Research and Innovation Marathon Relay, themed “Accelerating Towards Water Security Through Community Research and Innovative Technologies.” That 24-hour global relay allocated two-hour session per continent, promoting continuous engagement and showcasing regional impact in reframing tangible, concrete and sustainable solutions to better water resource management in defining a strategic pathway to improving on SDG 6 ( Clean Water and Sanitation).

24 June 2025 | The second virtual #Youth4Soil Solutions Showcase, themed “Restore. Reform. Reap.” spotlighted the critical role youth are playing in reversing land degradation, rethinking failed systems and reaping the collective benefits of healthier ecosystems.

Excerpt:

Soil health took centre stage at the June Climate Meetings (SB 62) in Bonn as the Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH), in partnership with EIT Food and CIFOR-ICRAF, launched a pioneering global network of Soil Action Hubs. The Hubs will act as a collection of decentralised platforms designed to accelerate local soil regeneration, investment and innovation. EIT Food is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union.

Recently, Nakivale has experienced a significant increase in refugee arrivals driven by various push and pull factors. Addressing these dynamics requires coordinated regional peacebuilding, sustainable development initiatives, and enhanced support for both refugees and host communities.

The community-based organisation AFRICAN YOUTH INTEGRATED FOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (AYISD) has been actively supporting the residents of Nakivale with capacity building and agricultural programming for the past four years. Now, organisers are concerned with how to sustainably accommodate the new influx of refugees to the settlement.

This article explores the context and need for support to the community of Nakivale, and outlines entry points for activists and stakeholders who want to get involved!

Between 23 April and 16 May 2025, the Young Professionals for Agriculture Development (YPARD) hosted a three-part Global Café Series focused on resource mobilization for youth leaders in agricultural development. The series aimed to equip young professionals with practical strategies, insights, and networking opportunities to effectively secure funding, build partnerships, and sustain donor relationships.

Le potentiel des jeunes francophones est immense : ils représentent plus de 50 % des 321 millions de francophones de moins de 35 ans. Les membres du groupe #Jeune4Sol Francophone de la CA4SH incarnent une génération dynamique, créative et scientifiquement engagée. Nos actions en faveur de la santé des sols, pilier de la sécurité alimentaire et de la biodiversité, permettent de bâtir un avenir durable pour les générations futures.

This article refers to soil heroes as people, places or things that stand for soil health even when climate change and other threats are rampant; all living and nonliving components that support the soil ecosystem thus bringing it glory and honour in the form of soil health. 

From February 5th to 9th 2025, I and three other Community Facilitators working with CIFOR-ICRAF in Kenya were privileged to attend a Syntropic Agroforestry and Regenerative Regenerative Agriculture course at ForestFoods in Limuru, Kenya. It was an awesome 4-day training course with intensive learning about the topic coupled with lectures and field activities.

Story and photos by Clemence Mnyika, Community Facilitator with CIFOR-ICRAF Kenya and Member of #Youth4Soil

The Coalition of Action for Soil Health (CA4SH) #Youth4Soil Working Group held its inaugural Virtual Soil Solutions showcase on Thursday, 6th March 2025. The event was dubbed “We Grow We Eat” to celebrate soil as a growing medium for 95% of the world's food. The showcase provided a platform for #Youth4Soil members to exhibit the soil health solutions they are already implementing in their local contexts and interact with key stakeholders to grow those solutions.

Soil health policies are stars for our soil, without whom our advancement towards global soil health would remain slower than the rate at which we are depleting our soils. The importance of soil health policies can be summarized into three pros: protect, probe and promote. 

During a recent webinar FROM DUST TO PROSPERITY: The ROLE of Soil in Shaping Africa’s Future co-hosted by the coalition of Action 4 Soil Health and the Allure of Soil Campaign, experts from around the world shared their perspectives on soil’s significance, its degradation, and the urgent need for action to restore and preserve it.

On 14 January 2025, the Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH) hosted a reflection webinar for a recent pilot initiative from CIFOR-ICRAF, Varda, and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation. Over 125 participants attended to hear insights on the soil data ecosystem in Kenya and Tanzania and contribute their questions and perspectives on the pilot results and the future of soil health data on the African continent.

Soil health is the cornerstone of sustainable agriculture, and its impact extends far beyond the confines of the farm. As we enter the festive season, it's a fitting time to reflect on the invaluable gifts of soil health. These include policies, advocates, media influence, scientific expertise, and farmer dedication—all crucial in driving progress toward a healthier, more resilient agricultural ecosystem. Let’s celebrate these contributions and recognize their role in safeguarding our future.

The Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH) is rooted in the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Since our official launch in 2021, CA4SH has amassed a membership of over 200 multistakeholder organizations and collaborated with countless partners.

This year, the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UNCCD was focused on a people-centred approach to accelerating action on land and drought resilience, themed Our Land. Our Future.

Since healthy soil is essential to land and drought resilience, and provides co-benefits that link with all 17 of the Sustainable Development Goals, the CA4SH network came together for a record engagement at COP16 to advocate for scaling global soil health.

On 5th December 2024, World Soil Day, YPARD Zambia hosted a YPARD Café dubbed "Youth Led Interventions for Soil Health and Climate Resilience". The event, which took place through an online platform, was meant to Convene a diverse group of young leaders to discuss youth led soil health interventions for climate resilience explore diverse opportunities available for youth to make impact in the soil health sector and foster youth engagement to elevate soil health interventions for climate resilience in national dialogues.

5 December 2024, on World Soil Day, the Coalition of Action for Soil Health (CA4SH) is pleased and privileged to share the latest creative writing initiative from Eliseus Bamporineza of #Youth4Soil called My Family Cares for Soil.

Eliseus is spearheading a much-needed and much-enjoyed space of creative advocacy in the global soil health movement. His dedication to his craft is evident through his independent writing and ever-growing bibliography.

My Family Cares for Soil is an engaging and educational booklet that follows a young girl’s journey as she explores soil health monitoring alongside family members. Each family member uses specific tools, like pH meters, moisture meters, and drones, to gather and analyze data on soil quality, helping the child understand the importance of caring for soil to improve farming outcomes.

Countless CA4SH partners attended the UNFCCC COP29 this month, so we reached out to ask how it went!

Despite this being an incredibly busy time of year, we received several responses from partners who highlighted the highs, the lows, and what still needs to be done to embed soil health more deeply in agenda set forth at the Rio Conventions.

Here are their reflections, in their own words.

Having acquired some basic understanding of soil health in Part 1 of the series, the Stars in Our Soil: Understanding Soil, Sussana Phiri spends this installment delving into the science behind soil testing, with examples and resources for those looking to start troubleshooting own farms.

14-18 October 2024: The World Food Forum (WFF) was held at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters in Rome, Italy. It served as a powerful platform, bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders to leverage the power of intergenerational collaborations, partnerships, and action across policy, science, innovation, culture, and investment. 

CA4SH members joined a series of youth-led dialogues, workshops, and networking events to highlight the transformative potential of soil health as the foundation of sustainable, resilient food systems. With over 200 members - including farmer organizations, youth, policymakers, scientists, and NGOs - the Coalition is committed to translating science into action, fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration, and amplifying the vital role of youth in global soil health initiatives.