A new initiative aims to help farmers learn how to promote and maintain soil fertility while enhancing their skills in soil health management. This knowledge will empower them to increase productivity without disrupting the nutrient balance or accelerating soil degradation.
By Lebogang Mashala, editor of African Farming
Togo’s farmers are grappling with declining crop yields and increasingly poor soils – a challenge driven by limited awareness of soil nutrient status and inefficient fertiliser use. But a new regional initiative is offering hope by helping smallholder farmers restore soil fertility and boost productivity through more innovative, science-based farming practices.
The Regional Hub for Fertilizer and Soil Health in West Africa and the Sahel, launched in 2024 as a sub-programme of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), is spearheading efforts to improve soil health and promote more efficient fertiliser use across the region, with a strong focus on Togo.
The Regional Hub, headquartered at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) campus in Ibadan, Nigeria, was established by a consortium of leading organisations, including the IITA, the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), OCP Africa, the African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI), the University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P) and the World Bank through the Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) project. This collaborative initiative directly aligns with the priorities outlined in the Fertilizers and Soil-Health Roadmap for West Africa and the Sahel, developed by ECOWAS, the World Bank and IFDC in September 2023. This strategic alignment underscores the Hub’s significance in addressing Africa’s soil health challenges and enhancing agricultural productivity.
“Farmers are the true beneficiaries of the work carried out by the Regional Hub,” says Adodo Abalo, Country Director of IFDC in Togo. “They will learn how to promote and maintain soil fertility and enhance their skills in soil health management. This knowledge will enable them to boost productivity without disrupting the nutrient balance or accelerating soil degradation.”
Also read: Soil health: Key to unlocking greater yields for small holder farmers
Critical Gaps
Recently, the Regional Hub conducted a comprehensive assessment of Togo’s Soil Information System (SIS), which revealed critical gaps, such as fragmented soil data that is not well shared, an underutilised SIS platform (FertiTogo) and limited capacity in soil laboratories at the Institut Togolais de Recherche Agronomique (ITRA) and the University of Lomé. The assessment also provided an explanation of the Nutrient Omission Trials (NOTs) protocol, facilitating the implementation of trials in accordance with the 20 functions aligned with the Lomé Declaration on Fertilizers and Soil Health in West Africa and the Sahel. This method helps prevent fertiliser waste by pinpointing precisely what nutrients the soil lacks. Three out of the 20 functions were initiated for implementation in Togo.
Furthermore, weaknesses in Togo’s fertility and soil health management were identified, allowing the Regional Hub to develop an action plan based on valuable information about soils and fertiliser application.
“This is vital for Togo’s agricultural transformation because it will help the country recommend appropriate fertiliser formulas for different soils and ensure that information on soil health management is readily available at any time and at a low cost for farmers,” said Abalo. IFDC leads the activities of the Regional Hub in Togo and serves as a direct contact with the government and other key stakeholders. The Togo Ministry of Agriculture, as the primary regulatory body, and ITRA, as a public research institution, are at the forefront of initiatives aimed at transforming the agricultural sector.
“Having the government and research institutions support the interventions of the Regional Hub is key to our success. Promoting such collaboration is a major factor in the success of the Regional Hub’s activities in Togo,” Abalo added. He emphasised that access to valuable, updated information on soil fertility and health status is essential to ensure that any interventions align with the actual needs of the farmers.
Togo will have its information integrated into the global system, which will help inform key partners about the types of interventions and support needed to improve productivity and ensure sustainable food security in the country. By utilising local resources for these activities, the Regional Hub is facilitating a transfer of knowledge and capacity that will be essential when the project concludes.
