Le guide méthodologique fournit un aperçu des analyses économiques et environnementales les plus récentes, répondant au besoin de ProSol et pertinents pour des contextes de développement plus larges. Il explique les méthodologies proposées, leurs indicateurs et résultats clés ainsi que les besoins en données et fournit des informations sur le contexte d’application. Le guide comprend également des conseils et des astuces sur ce qu’il faut prendre en compte avant d’entreprendre une étude. Des idées pratiques sur la façon d’impliquer les parties prenantes concernées dans les différentes étapes d’une analyse permettent d’adapter les études aux besoins du groupe cible et d’assurer que les résultats sont utiles aux parties prenantes. Grâce à ce produit, les collègues des pays partenaires de ProSol devraient être en mesure d’identifier leurs principales questions de recherche et le but de telles analyses, et de formuler à l’avance le type de résultats qu’ils souhaiteraient obtenir. Ils devraient avoir une compréhension de base des méthodologies d’analyse économique et écologique existantes et savoir quelle méthodologie pourrait convenir à leurs besoins spécifiques. Ils devraient se sentir en mesure de monter un dossier d’analyse et lancer un appel d’offres et sélectionner un partenaire de recherche compétent pour éventuellement se lancer dans une étude personnalisée.

Since 2015, ProSoil has been empowering communities to address environmental and food-security challenges by implementing interventions, such as agroforestry, conservation agriculture, soil and water management, integrated pest management, and policy advice. Through effective collaboration with smallholder farmers, experts and decision makers, ProSoil has fostered a landscape transition towards sustainable farming practices. TAPE results from 120 farms that actively participated in ProSoil activities were compared with 120 farms that had not participated in ProSoil activities. To specifically assess the contribution of agroecology to improved soil health within ProSoil farms, as opposed to the comparison farms, TAPE was complemented with the Land Degradation Surveillance Framework (LDSF) methodology to gain more detailed insights into the contribution of agroecological integration to physiochemical soil characteristics.

Environmental deterioration, ill health, and premature mortality are interrelated, and all are significantly influenced by global food systems. Currently, there is growing interest in switching to a sustainable system that ensures the production of diversified food products while ensuring the regenerative use of natural resources and addressing societal needs. Agroecology – a transdisciplinary approach simultaneously applying ecological and social concepts and promoting sustainable agriculture and food systems – addresses these needs and has therefore received global attention. In widely promoting agroecology, there is also a need to assess its level of integration and effectiveness. To this end, the Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE) – a global analytical framework developed with contributions from numerous international organizations and with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) serving as the host – is widely employed to assess the multidimensional performance of agroecology and to generate evidence.

Snapshot of content in technology profiles as related to potential for sustainable intensification, enhanced profitability, emission reduction, and policy mechanisms to promote access and use.

As agroecology is increasingly viewed as a promising approach to render agricultural and food systems more sustainable, there is growing interest in assessing both the level of agroecological integration and the contribution of agroecology to achieving societal goals. To address both points of interest, the FAO’s Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE) was applied in the context of the Global Programme “Soil Protection and Rehabilitation for Food Security” (ProSoil) in three Kenyan counties (Bungoma, Kakamega and Siaya). Since 2015, ProSoil has been building community capacity to implement agroecological farming practices. The application of TAPE aimed at assessing the degree to which ProSoil’s interventions contributed to agroecological transitions among beneficiary households, and how the degree of agroecological integration correlates with multidimensional performance. TAPE results from 101 farms that have actively participated in ProSoil activities were compared with 100 farms that had not actively participated in ProSoil activities, serving as a comparison group. These comparison farms were selected from households targeted for the DeSIRA (EU initiative “Development Smart Innovation through Research in Agriculture”) project “Enhancing soils and agroecology for resilient agri-food systems in Sub-Saharan Africa” (ProSilience), co-funded by the EU and BMZ and embedded within ProSoil.

Cette compilation de données économiques examine les études et les rapports sur les activités de ProSol qui ont été menées entre 2014 et 2023, dont beaucoup ont été réalisées en partenariat avec l’Initiative sur l’économie de la dégradation des terres (ELD) (www.eld-initiative.org). Elles ont été analysées en fonction de leurs avantages sociaux, environnementaux et économiques.

The Agroecology Leadership Academy is conducted with financial support from the European Union (EU) as part of the EU co-funded Action “ProSilience: Enhancing soils and agroecology for resilient agrifood systems in Sub-Saharan Africa”. ProSilience is integrated into the Global Programme “Soil Protection and Rehabilitation for Food Security” (ProSoil) commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, As a core part of the Academy, the country teams from the seven countries were supported to put transformation initiatives into actions. Within a few months, the participants catalyzed effective action by advancing national policies, bringing a wide range of stakeholders together, spreading hands-on knowledge and developing innovative media products.

This document summarizes Lessons Learnt on the base of internal reflection and harvesting workshops, a meeting with country facilitators, a survey by participants and focus group interviews with participants. It aims to openly share experiences with other practitioners interested in setting up similar programmes.

The Measuring Agroecology and its Performance (MAP) project is a collaborative initiative of the Agroecology TPP aimed at fostering agroecological transitions by generating evidence of agroecology’s contribution to societal goals. The MAP project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), co-funded by the European Union (EU) and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE) was applied in 2024 in three Ethiopian districts (Hula, Sodo-Zuria and Walmara) in the context of the Global Programme “Soil Protection and Rehabilitation for Food Security” (ProSoil), operating as ISFM+ in Ethiopia. To assess the contribution of ProSoil to agroecological transitions of farmers and their multidimensional performance, TAPE was applied with 99 households that actively participated in ProSoil activities (ProSoil group) and with 99 households that had not actively participated in the programme (comparison group).

The Measuring Agroecology and its Performance (MAP) project is a collaborative initiative of the Agroecology TPP aimed at fostering agroecological transitions by generating evidence of agroecology’s contribution to societal goals. The MAP project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), co-funded by the European Union (EU) and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE) was applied in 2024 in four municipalities (Za-Kpota, Bantè, Sinendé and Kandi) in Benin in the context of the Global Programme “Soil Protection and Rehabilitation for Food Security” (ProSoil). To assess the contribution of ProSoil to agroecological transitions of farmers and their multidimensional performance, TAPE was applied with 120 households that actively participated in ProSoil activities (ProSoil group) and with 120 households that had not actively participated in the programme (comparison group).

The Measuring Agroecology and its Performance (MAP) project is a collaborative initiative of the Agroecology TPP aimed at fostering agroecological transitions by generating evidence of agroecology’s contribution to societal goals. The MAP project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), co-funded by the European Union (EU) and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE) was applied in 2024 in four municipalities (Belobaka, Katsepy, Manerinerina and Tsaramandroso) in the Boeny Region of Madagascar in the context of the Global Programme “Soil Protection and Rehabilitation for Food Security” (ProSoil). To characterize farmers’ transition to agroecology and assess the correlation between agroecological integration and multidimensional performance, TAPE was applied with 200 households in the intervention area of ProSoil.

The Measuring Agroecology and its Performance (MAP) project is a collaborative initiative of the Agroecology TPP aimed at fostering agroecological transitions by generating evidence of agroecology’s contribution to societal goals. The MAP project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), co-funded by the European Union (EU) and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE) was applied in 2024 in three Kenyan counties (Bungoma, Kakamega and Siaya) in the context of the Global Programme “Soil Protection and Rehabilitation for Food Security” (ProSoil). To assess the contribution of ProSoil to agroecological transitions of farmers and their multidimensional performance, TAPE was applied with 101 households that actively participated in ProSoil activities (ProSoil group) and with 100 households that had not actively participated in the programme (comparison group).

At the Agroecology Leadership Academy, participants develop their skills and build on their experience as leaders in agroecological transformation. They are equipped to navigate complex systems and support social transformation. Through joint initiatives, the teams help enhance agroecological transformation in their countries. Our learning methods include blending the “what” (agroecological transformation) with the “how” (leadership), using interactive experiences and action-based methodologies, and co-creating a collective learning space for joint action.

This synthesis paper is a product of a first workshop on upscaling the potential of soil organic carbon for climate action, held in April 2020. Experts came together for the “Climate-Soil Community of Practice” to disseminate information on successful land management and soil carbon projects, highlight good practices for overcoming adoption barriers and strengthen the case for sustainable land management as a key to effective climate action. This synthesis paper presents the outcomes of the presentations and discussions derived during the event on the linkages between sustainable land management and climate change. It aims to provide guidance on a holistic approach to land use and climate policy processes within the scope of international agendas and national actions. It offers entry points at the national level and presents good practices to current barriers in aligning these two closely interconnected, yet often separately treated processes.

Years of chemical-intensive agricultural practices following the Green Revolution in the late 1960s have led to extensive soil degradation in India. This has implications for food security, farmers’ incomes, and the country's economy. However, domestic top-down policy mandates in recent times have favoured practices like natural farming with a view to slow down and eventually halt soil degradation. This is in line with the international Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), one of which is focused on restoring degraded lands (SDG 15.3 aims to strive achieve land degradation neutrality). Taking cue from recent policy mandates on soil and land, this chapter posits the historical significance of the Panchayat — a village-level administrative institution in India — and argues for its involvement in policy implementation for soil rehabilitation at the village level, The article also makes a case for the introduction of an overarching National Soil Policy to encourage natural farming practices and biofertilizer use.

The Global Programme „Soil protection and rehabilitation for food security“ which is implemented by GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, works with partners who identified the need for sharing and implementing sustainable approaches for soil protection and rehabilitation in six countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, India, Kenya and Madagascar). At the political level, the programme advises the partner governments on improving general political conditions. The governments have to create incentives for farmers and smaller enterprises to use the soil in more sustainable ways. To support these national activities, the programme organizes international forums that encourage participants to share lessons learned.

The Land Matters! Integrating soil degradation concerns and solutions into policy processes Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is contributing to the aforementioned Global Programme. Many academics and practitioners struggle to support decision making which takes into account land use related trade-offs in ecosystem service provision, even though many have evidence of such trade-offs. The MOOC therefore helps them in finding ways to support decision-making. It is hosted on the GIZ online platform, Global Campus 21.

Agroecology is an integrated and holistic approach to sustainable agricultural and food systems, from production to consumption. It is pursued in three dimensions: science, agricultural practices, and a social movement. The 13 agroecological principles of the HLPE (2019) provide guidance for its implementation.

Soil health is fundamental for the productivity of cropping systems. It relies on three interlinked pillars: (1) availability of sufficient nutrients, (2) organic matter and (3) soil biota. Organic matter regulates pH and supports nutrient availability, water retention and soil biodiversity. Soil biotas decompose organic matter and improve soil structure by forming soil aggregates.

This guidebook aims to inform the design of agricultural carbon projects and to support project developers in navigating key project development issues, drawing on lessons learnt from a pilot project; the Western Kenya Soil Carbon Project (WKCP) as well as feasibility studies in India and Madagascar.

This synthesis report examines how gender is implicated in soil health interventions across diverse country contexts, and how Soil Matters as a global programme can respond with both gender-responsive and gender-transformative approaches. It draws on national gender analyses conducted between 2024–2025, offering cross-country insights, strategic recommendations, and key entry points to ensure that gender equality is not only acknowledged but actively pursued within the programme’s design, delivery, and scaling pathways.nger. Depending on the climate scenario, up to 80 million additional people could be at risk of hunger due to climate change (IPCC 2022).

Climate change is a major threat to agricultural production. Africa is particularly affected. Since 1961, total agricultural productivity growth in Africa has been reduced by 34 per cent due to climate change. These negative effects are likely to increase. The yields of staple cereals and legumes in the tropics are expected to decline by 5 per cent for every degree Celsius of global warming. Yield reductions and harvest failures are undermining food security and increasing hunger. Depending on the climate scenario, up to 80 million additional people could be at risk of hunger due to climate change (IPCC 2022).