Soil health | Our Action in 2022
NFP and partners are currently mapping the needs for soil health interventions around the world. After this phase, partners intend to take action together within specific countries. Interventions will build on and contribute to existing programmes and investments globally, raising their quality and effectiveness through a collaborative and systemic approach to enhance soil health. Read on for updates from Ethiopia, Ghana, and other opportunities in West Africa and South-East Asia.
In Ethiopia, an investigative study has been carried out by Wageningen University and Research, commissioned by NFP and a selection of our partners, who are experts in soil health. Experts interviewed indicated three main challenges for soil health in Ethiopia: the lack of a legal framework for the sustainable use of soils; the competing uses of scarce organic resources; and the reduced access to inputs from markets and for outputs to markets.
The study includes key points for discussion about collaborative action, which will be used to start up conversations with different Ethiopian, international and Dutch partners.
In Ghana, we are exploring the specific demand of local farmers and other private and public sector partners of Dutch companies and organisations, who are, again, experts in soil health. We expect a full assessment of these demands in the third quarter of this year, which will form the basis for joint action to strengthen the soil health within a specific agricultural value chain in Northern Ghana.
Opportunities in other countries within West Africa and South-East Asia are now being explored by the soil health experts we partner with and support. We are in touch with the Embassies of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, amongst others, which have indicated opportunities to improve soil health as a driver and outcome of sustainable agricultural sector transformation programmes.
The key entry point for our joint action is the specific demand of agrifood stakeholders in these different countries. Partners are fully on board to begin the dialogue to address the most urgent soil health challenges as a partnership.
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