The 21st Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme Partnership Platform (CAADP PP) and the 16th Africa Day for Food and Nutrition Security (ADFNS) was held in Kigali, Rwanda, from 29th to 31st October 2025. During which, a powerful consensus emerged: securing Africa’s future hinges on the health of its foundation, its soil. Stakeholders were urged to take urgent, integrated action to restore the continent’s degraded lands and transform agrifood systems. This is not merely an agricultural issue but a central pillar in the pursuit of food and nutrition security for all Africans.
Beyond nutrition, healthy soils are a linchpin for environmental sustainability and climate resilience. They represent the planet’s largest terrestrial carbon sink, storing more carbon than all plants and the atmosphere combined. Practices like cover cropping and reduced tillage enhance this capacity while improving biodiversity and protecting water systems.
This multifaceted value of soil is now centrally embedded in the CAADP framework, which links soil health directly to sustainable production, resilient investments, and ecosystem health. The accompanying Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan sets clear 2034 targets, including tripling fertilizer (both organic and inorganic) use and restoring 30% of degraded soils.
Echoing the call for decisive movement, Dr. Lawrence Haddad of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) underscored the need for rapid implementation.
The message from Kigali is clear: protecting and revitalizing Africa’s soil is a non-negotiable investment in the continent’s people, economies and environmental future. The time for integrated action is now. For deeper insights into the event, read more.
/In the picture: Dr. Janet Edeme, Head of the Rural Development Division and Acting Head of Agriculture and Food Security at the African Union Commission (AUC)/
