May 2024 Newsletter

Don't miss out—watch "Future Proofing: Unified Action for Soil Health and Food Security!"

IFDC's 50th Anniversary Symposia Series

"Future Proofing: Unified Action for Soil Health and Food Security," held on June 4 in Washington, D.C., brought together over 100 experts in person and almost 300 virtually.

The recent Nairobi Fertilizer and Soil Health Declaration offered the international community a chance to examine global challenges to improving food security through this unique lens and mobilize for inspired action. Attendees spent the day collaborating with heads of state, scientists, economists, and other influential changemakers. Together, they explored innovative solutions to sustainably feed a growing global population, projected to reach 10 billion by 2050.

Featured speakers included USAID Administrator Samantha Power and Rattan Lal, Distinguished University Professor and Director of the CFAES Rattan Lal Center for Carbon Management and Sequestration at The Ohio State University and World Food Prize Laureate.?

Special thanks to our breakout session leaders from the Global Agricultural Productivity (GAP) initiative at Virginia Tech University, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) , Kansas State University, the Alliance for African Partnership at Michigan State University, The Fertilizer Institute (TFI), and 世界银行 .

Hear from USAID Administrator Samantha Power | Watch the symposium.

May Project Feature

SOILS-Space to Place (S2P) Initiative

The SOILS-S2P initiative?(2023-2025) will provide improved and localized soil fertility recommendations and support better access to fertilizers, organic sources to approximately 4 to 5 million smallholders in key production systems – maize mixed, agro-pastoral, cereal-root crop mixed, and highland mixed of SSA in the next 24-36 months.

Learn more.

Recent News and Blogs

The African Union Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit (AFSH) establishes 10-year action plan

In May, IFDC participated in the African Union's AFSH Summit to highlight the crucial role of fertilizer and soil health in stimulating sustainable productivity growth in African agriculture. During the summit, a 10-year Action Plan was agreed upon to provide a focus for new policies and investments that will enable farmers to work toward re-building soil health and ultimately increase yield responses and profitability of fertilizers.

Read the Recap.

Promoting agricultural growth and financial stability through cooperatives in Uganda

The BRIGHT project is promoting agricultural growth and financial stability by strengthening the capacity of savings and credit cooperatives (SACCOs), linking them to financial institutions and input dealers, and facilitating market access. Charles Byarugaba, a founding member of the Nyabyumba Cooperative, shares his experience with BRIGHT's assistance in expanding the Cooperative to help farmers with their finances.

Read the Story.

AfricaFertilizer launches fertilizer dashboard for Mozambique

IFDC's AfricaFertilizer initiative has launched a country-specific fertilizer dashboard in Mozambique to support fertilizer industry stakeholders in that country and beyond. This is the eighth dashboard developed and deployed by AfricaFertilizer, in cooperation with Development Gateway: an IREX Venture. Other dashboards include Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal.

Visit the Dashboard.

Survey: Soil fertility and soil health in Africa

Developed by the Kansas State Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sustainable Intensification, this survey is designed to help us better understand the role of soil health in African soil fertility and soil management. The information will be used to develop a research and extension plan for fertilizers, fertilizer application, and soil health in Africa.

Take the Survey.

Vermicompost multiplication: unleashing prosperity in the Ethiopian agribusiness sector

To usher in a new era of sustainability, the 2SCALE program introduced vermicomposting to farmers- a scientific method of making organic compost using earthworms, white worms, and red wiggers. Months after the training, farmers from the Kesem-2SCALE partnership testified to the over 20% increased yield and better quality of crops produced.

Learn More.

Building the capacity of cooperatives to strengthen resilience and improve income

The Tendai Muari and Kubhatana Kova Rime cooperatives in Mozambique benefited from two irrigation pumps on April 17. The Búzi District Economic Activities Service (SDAE) presided over the handover ceremony as part of its ongoing cooperation with IFDC in its efforts to promote social, economic, and environmental resilience through its Triple Resilience (3R) program.

Read the Article.

IFDC Open Door events continue in Uganda

After 12 impactful years of transformational agricultural initiatives in Uganda, IFDC celebrated the organization’s global 50th anniversary celebration through an Open Door event on April 16 in Kampala. This vibrant event showcased IFDC’s dedication to agricultural development and sustainability.

Read about Past Open Doors.

Soil Values officially launched to support soil fertility in the Sahel

The Soil Values program commenced its official launch in Abuja, Nigeria on April 16. The event brought together consortium members, partners, and other agricultural development stakeholders operating in Africa and provided a unique opportunity that allowed attendees to discover the program’s very substance, ask questions for clarification, and meet and discuss face-to-face with all stakeholders.

Read the Recap.