It is often said that a
house is only as strong as the foundation upon which it sits. The same may be
said for the importance of soils in keeping our agricultural sector productive,
sustainable and resilient.
Soils are the cornerstone of our food chain, yet they receive
scant attention or recognition for the role they play. For this reason, the
United Nations has declared 2015 as the International Year of Soils – to raise
awareness while coordinating various sectors’ efforts to research and care for
soils.
Perhaps nowhere else than in Africa is this issue of soil more
important. More than 70 percent of the African population relies on agriculture
in some way for their livelihoods, and its growth has the potential to catalyze
much broader development goals – from reducing poverty and hunger to improving
health and nutritional status.
Africa has 60 percent of the world’s remaining uncultivated arable
land, yet Africa’s soils are in crisis. It is estimated that 65 percent of
arable land is degraded by eroding topsoil or depleted nutrients from
“unhealthy” farming practices. The economic loss from these nutrient losses are
estimated to be worth the equivalent of $4 billion annually in sub-Saharan
Africa alone.
In a continent whose population is predicted to add almost one
billion additional people by the year 2030, our soils present a strategic
natural resource for nations. African countries are at a critical point in
their development where they can harness – as most other developed countries
have already done – agriculture’s role in driving economic prosperity.
