Promoting Crop Productivity from Improved Soil Management in Smallholder Farming Systems: Policy Implications for Enhanced Soil Management in Africa

In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), achieving sustainable agricultural intensification and meeting the growing food demands of a burgeoning population in the face of growing threats to food systems requires a rethink of soil health solutions for smallholder farming systems. During the recently ended Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit (2024), African leaders committed to practical measures to safeguard African soil health, recognizing how this is critical to achieving food security and environmental sustainability. The Summit also saw the launch of the Great Green Wall Initiative Strategy and Ten-Year Implementation Framework (2024–2034), whose aim is to strengthen ecosystem restoration, landscape management, soil health, and livelihood enhancement across the continent. Over the years, many African governments have implemented input subsidy programs, mainly focusing on promoting use of inorganic fertilizers to boost agricultural productivity. However, due to several challenges, including issues around distributional efficiencies and the economic costs associated with importation of fertilizer, input subsidies have had mixed results across the continent. Additionally, fertilizer subsidy programs have often failed to achieve their food security objectives, partly because soil health is in decline due to lack of complementary soil ameliorative measures. This chapter submits that agroecological principles are key in improving soil health and nutrient-use efficiency and are critical to sustaining crop productivity and safeguarding ecological services in the long term. The chapter calls for a rethink of existing input support strategies and a broader focus on complementary approaches to enhancing soil health. We argue that for Sub-Saharan Africa, with an average fertilizer application rate of 22 kilograms per hectare against a global average of 146 kilograms per hectare, fertilizers remain critical but should be complemented with agroecological practices. To achieve this, adequate policy support is needed. Reforming policies and subsidies related to chemical fertilizers can significantly support the adoption of organic fertilizers, which are more sustainable for soil health, water quality, and overall environmental impact. The chapter discusses the need to repurpose policies to enhance soil health and incentivize the uptake of sustainable soil management practices for improved farmer incomes. The chapter discusses some of the policy options for supporting transition to more sustainable production practices.