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Science evidence and data for soil health Partner Contributor Science evidence and data for soil health Partner Contributor

Avantages économiquesdes pratiques agroécologiques en matière de sol : Données produites par ProSol

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.

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Science evidence and data for soil health Partner Contributor Science evidence and data for soil health Partner Contributor

Economic benefits through agroecological soil practices: Evidence by ProSoil

This compilation of economic evidence looks at the studies and reports about ProSoil activities that were carried out between 2014 to 2023, many in partnership with the Economics of Land Degradation (ELD) Initiative (www.eld-initiative.org). They were analysed in terms of their economic, social, environmental and benefits as the compilation sought to answer two key questions:

I. Are agroecological practices economically viable for smallholder farmers?

II. What are the wider economic and social benefits of agroecological practices?

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Policy and soil health Partner Contributor Policy and soil health Partner Contributor

Economic benefits through agroecological soil practices

Soils worldwide are degrading at an accelerating rate with devastating effects on agricultural productivity and thus food security. Farmers can directly address this challenge by adopting agroecological practices that help maintain or enhance soil fertility over the long term. Evidence from 10 years of implementation of ProSoil shows that these measures not only improve soil fertility but also have a positive economic impact for both farmers and society as a whole. Case studies from ProSoil have been analysed.

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Hanna Linden (she/her) | CA4SH Secretariat Hanna Linden (she/her) | CA4SH Secretariat

Soil First: Advancing Food System Transformation from the Ground Up

This paper is the outcome of the “Partners for Change – SOILutions for a Food Secure, Resilient, and Sustainable Future” (short SOILutions) conference held in Berlin, Germany, from 20th to 22nd May 2025. It is based on the experience and lessons learned from over a decade of on-the-ground implementation through a major investment in soil protection and rehabilitation. Since 2015, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) together with the European Union (EU) and the Gates Foundation (GF) have provided over EUR 240 million through the programme “Soil Protection and Rehabilitation for Food Security” (short ProSoil) This programme has been successfully implemented in several African countries and India using a multipartnership approach. To date, nearly 1 million hectares of agricultural land have been protected and rehabilitated, achieving an average yield increase of 44 per cent and providing more food and better nutrition for 2.6 million people in seven countries.

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Hanna Linden (she/her) | CA4SH Secretariat Hanna Linden (she/her) | CA4SH Secretariat

Policy Brief | Healthy Soils, Resilient Systems: Levers for Sustainable Agricultural and Food Systems

This Policy Brief derives from the “Partners for Change – SOILutions for a Food Secure, Resilient, and Sustainable Future” (short SOILutions) conference in May 2025. The Partners for Change (P4C) Network brings together around 250 key stakeholders from government, civil society, and the private sector from over 30 countries. To advance the transformation of agricultural and food systems, the P4C Network provides an inclusive dialogue platform that fosters the c ocreation of sustainable transformation pathways across the three stakeholder groups.

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The Road Ahead for Soil Health Action: A Call to Action from the 2024 CA4SH Webinar Series

The Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH) is a multi stakeholder partnership committed to scaling soil health, globally. CA4SH ’s membership base comprises stakeholders from member states, the private sector, research institutions, civil society, farmer organisations, multilateral organisations, and NGOs.

To leverage the wealth of knowledge and experiences from across our partners in addressing key challenges currently constraining farmers to implement healthy soil practices, CA4SH held a three-part virtual Webinar Series in early 2024. The 2024 Webinar Series was held over three sessions under the topics of bringing soil health into policy, science & knowledge for improving and monitoring soil health, and financing healthy soil practices. The objectives were to explore soil-related themes and share experiences with a focus on tailoring and scaling successful methodologies.

This brief summarizes the sessions, and coallates lessons learned, calls to action, and opportunities for scaling these approaches to align action on soil ahead of the 2024 Rio Conventions.

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Hanna Linden (she/her) | CA4SH Secretariat Hanna Linden (she/her) | CA4SH Secretariat

Payments for Ecosystems Services to Support Transitions to Sustainable Agriculture and Land Use

This brief focuses on Payments for Ecosystems or Environmental Services (PES) as a mechanism for providing incentives to land users to transition to more sustainable land management.

Agriculture and food systems are both drivers and victims of escalating climate and nature crises, in turn increasing the risks to healthy diets, livelihoods and economies. Public policies can set incentives for farming and market practices that further exacerbate these trends, but they can also play a role in reversing them. The global Agriculture Policy Dialogue on Transition to Sustainable Agriculture is a peer-to-peer platform to share experience, facilitate partnerships and catalyse policy leadership to accelerate the transition to sustainable agriculture and food systems that benefit people, prosperity and the planet.

Policy Pathway Briefs provide an overview of emerging experiences and lessons on policy approaches that contribute to this transition, covering a series of topics requested by Policy Dialogue members, to support peer leaning and knowledge exchange. The briefing notes are in no way exhaustive. The options facing governments will be context specific and look different across and within countries. The notes aim to act as a discussion starter and to facilitate exchanges between countries engaged in the Agriculture Policy Dialogue and with other global initiatives, drawing on the experiences presented by members and examples identified through further research.

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Hanna Linden (she/her) | CA4SH Secretariat Hanna Linden (she/her) | CA4SH Secretariat

Promoting Healthy Soils and Land

This brief focuses on soil health, identifying policy instruments and actions for governments to provide incentives and support to farmers to protect and restore agricultural soils.

Agriculture and food systems are both drivers and victims of escalating climate and nature crises, in turn increasing the risks to healthy diets, livelihoods and economies. Public policies can set incentives for farming and market practices that further exacerbate these trends, but they can also play a role in reversing them. The global Agriculture Policy Dialogue on Transition to Sustainable Agriculture is a peer-to-peer platform to share experience, facilitate partnerships and catalyse policy leadership to accelerate the transition to sustainable agriculture and food systems that benefit people, prosperity and the planet.

Policy Pathway Briefs provide an overview of emerging experiences and lessons on policy approaches that contribute to this transition, covering a series of topics requested by Policy Dialogue members, to support peer leaning and knowledge exchange. The briefing notes are in no way exhaustive. The options facing governments will be context specific and look different across and within countries. The notes aim to act as a discussion starter and to facilitate exchanges between countries engaged in the Agriculture Policy Dialogue and with other global initiatives, drawing on the experiences presented by members and examples identified through further research.

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Hanna Linden (she/her) | CA4SH Secretariat Hanna Linden (she/her) | CA4SH Secretariat

Regenerative Agriculture Metrics: Guidance for Business

To accelerate regenerative agriculture and transition agricultural models that work within planetary boundaries, it is essential to converge on an integrated measurement architecture. This includes addressing and overcoming the key challenges to alignment – a lack of cohesion on definition and outcomes, fragmented and siloed data collection and reporting, a need to translate global frameworks into local action plans, and a lack of inclusivity of farmers and Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLC) in the process.

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has prioritized strengthening corporate performance accountability systems for carbon, nature and equity. To this end, WBCSD has launched the Regenerative Agriculture Metrics (RAM) joint working group with the One Planet Business for Biodiversity (OP2B) coalition. This collaborative effort involves more than 50 members and 27 business-focused partners, representing more than 1,100 businesses.

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Hanna Linden (she/her) | CA4SH Secretariat Hanna Linden (she/her) | CA4SH Secretariat

Call to Action for Soil Health

To make progress on some of the world’s most pressing challenges such as food security, nutrition, climate change and inclusive economic opportunity we must look at soil as a vital asset. The Call to Action for Soil Health -- issued in July 2021 by the Private Sector Guiding Group Coalition for Soil Health -- is inspired by these challenges and the UN Food Systems Summit.

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