WLE has prioritised information systems that target critical areas of uncertainty in water, land and ecosystem management and have potential to contribute to shaping policies and programs at international, basin, national and sub-national scales. One of these is cost-effective soil information systems that provide information for critical national and farm level management decisions based on new soil spectral diagnostics and digital mapping techniques. The Africa Soil Information Service, which is the primary platform for this activity, will assist national programs in at least four African countries to transition to modern agricultural research and data collection practices that are expected to result in faster agricultural development cycle times, incorporate user-centered innovation and design principles, and produce a steady stream of location and time specific information technologies for improving soil and landscape management. The project will also inform national and global policy and initiatives in agriculture that address key environmental threats in SSA. More specifically this activity will support the adoption of low cost soil spectroscopic analytical techniques and decision support applications in Ghana, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Tanzania, and other countries on request; and support a soil spectroscopy network across 10 African countries. Applications of land health surveillance methods in sustainable land management projects in Africa will also be published.
Contact Person
Keith Shepherd (k.shepherd@cgiar.org), Samuel Gaturu (Admin) (s.gaturu@cgiar.org)Lead Center
Partners
Earth Institute, University of Columbia, Columbia Global Centers- Africa, Ministry of Agriculture, Nigeria, Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security, and Cooperatives, Ministry of Agriculture, Ghana, Ethiopia Soil Information Service, Agricultural Transformation Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, Ethiopia, India Council of Agricultural ResearchRelated contents
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A collection of tools for land restoration
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Dembele, C. O.; Traore, K.; Karembe, M.; Zemadim, B.; Samake, O. 2021. Contour Ridge Tillage for Improved Crops and Fodder Trees Production in the Villages of Kani and Noumpinesso, Southern Mali. Journal of Agricultural Studies, 9(2):550-572. ISSN 2166-0379 doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.5296/jas.v9i2.18513
Traditional knowledge affects soil management ability of smallholder farmers in marginal areas
Occelli, M.; Mantino, A.; Ragaglini, G.; Dell’Acqua, M.; Fadda, C.; Pè, M.E.; Nuvolari, A. (2021) Traditional knowledge affects soil management ability of smallholder farmers in marginal areas. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 41: 9. ISSN: 1774-0746