Development Organizations Unite to Expand Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils in Africa

During the event, participants emphasized the urgency of addressing soil health issues in Africa.

Leading development organizations have pledged to forge partnerships to expand the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS), an initiative aimed at building resilient African food systems based on diverse, nutritious, and climate-adapted crops grown in healthy soils.

During the African Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit in Nairobi, key leaders, including the African Union’s Commissioner for Rural Development and Agriculture, Ambassador Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, and African Development Bank Group Vice President Dr. Beth Dunford, called for African countries to join the VACS strategic partnership. They encouraged alignment with the African Development Bank’s flagship initiative, Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT).

TAAT, part of the Bank Group’s Feed Africa strategy, delivers heat-tolerant, drought-resistant, and other climate-smart certified seeds to millions of Africa’s smallholder farmers, with the goal to produce 120 million additional tons of food in Africa and lift 130 million people out of poverty.

The initiative targets five priority crops—cassava, orange-fleshed sweet potato, sorghum, millet, and high-iron beans—also addressed by VACS. VACS, launched by the U.S. Department of State, the African Union, and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in February 2023, focuses on enhancing the resilience of African food systems.

The call for partnership came during a side event titled "Advancing the Soil Initiative for Africa through the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soil," which concluded with leaders endorsing the African Union’s Soil Initiative for Africa framework statement and the Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan.

During the event, participants emphasized the urgency of addressing soil health issues in Africa. They highlighted the need for collaboration between the African Union, African Development Bank, and VACS stakeholders to ensure sustainable agricultural development.

Lindiwe Sibanda, Chair of the CGIAR System Board, Malawi’s Minister for Agriculture Sam Kawale, and International Fund for Agricultural Development Vice President Dr. Gerardine Mukeshimana were among the notable participants.

The event showcased the commitment of various organizations to work together towards improving soil health and agricultural productivity in Africa. Mildred Pita, Head of Public Affairs, Science, and Sustainability for Africa at Bayer, announced a $1 million donation in kind to support VACS, underscoring the importance of private sector involvement in sustainable agricultural development initiatives.

The Summit, organized by the African Union in collaboration with AUDA-NEPAD, regional economic communities, and other partners, aimed to build consensus on an African Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan and the Soils Initiative for Africa. These initiatives seek to address the widespread decline in soil quality of African farmland and ensure food security and agricultural sustainability in the region.