| Description:
| Achieving global food security requires attention to soil security (Pozza & Field, 2020). This is because soil is the backbone of food production, essential for human survival and it is important in the current era of unpredictable weather patterns and market instability (Poch et al., 2020; Rojas et al., 2016). Increasingly, soil health is acknowledged as one aspect of soil security, providing essential ecosystem services such as climate resilience, water regulation, and food production in a sustainable manner (Vereecken et al., 2022), with the International Union of Soil Sciences declaring the period from 2015 to 2024 as decade for soils globally (https://www.iuss.org/international-decade-of-soils/) .
Soil health is intricately tied to biogeochemical cycles, including carbon, nitrogen, water, and sulfur cycles which are in turn, deeply connected to climate patterns, forming a complex interplay that affects ecosystems functioning and environmental sustainability (Figure 1). Declining soil health is a precursor to decreasing agricultural productivity. At global and regional scales, differences in the inherent soil health and climate provide varying conditions and capacities for production of food, feed and fiber (Silver et al 2021). It is thus recognized that declining soil health is a precursor to decreasing agricultural productivity. It is estimated that around 25% of the world’s agricultural land is highly degraded thus impacting its ability to produce food(Silver et al., 2021). In Africa, there are competing view points, but many analyses point towards 50 to 70% of Africa’s soils as having chemical, physical and biological limitations that impede crop production (Lal, 2010). Soil degradation challenges in Africa include soil erosion, nutrient depletion, soil organic carbon (SOC) loss, acidification and increasing aridity. These have arisen due to various challenges which include misuse of mineral and organic fertilizers, land use change, climate change (i.e., declining number of rainy days, erratic rainfall patterns, prolonged dry spells and droughts), inadequate extension services and knowledge provision on appropriate soil management, and complex land tenure systems. Africa’s heightened exposure to adverse climatic events (e.g. droughts, flooding) and the fact that most of the staple food crops are grown by small holders among them women and youths necessitates an initial focused attention to address the afore mentioned soil health challenges for food and nutrition security on the continent. |
