Nairobi will from today host the second African Fertiliser and Soil Health Summit (AFSH) at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre.
The summit, a collaborative effort between the Government of Kenya and the African Union, aims to address the pressing issues surrounding soil health, not only in Africa but also globally.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary, Mithika Linturi, emphasised the significance of the AFSH summit, highlighting it as the continent's premier soil health forum.
Under the theme "Listen to the Land," this year's summit will be led by President William Ruto and chaired by Moussa Faki Mahamat, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission.
With over 2,000 stakeholders expected to attend, the three-day summit will critically evaluate Africa's soil health.
Linturi underscored that the summit's outcomes, including the Nairobi Declaration, aim to catalyse the realisation of goals set in the Abuja Declaration of 2006.
The Abuja Declaration, endorsed by the heads of state and governments of the African Union, outlined strategies to enhance agricultural productivity and food security by increasing fertiliser usage.
“The declaration focused on key targets required for agricultural growth, food security, and rural development in Africa, with a focus on the role of fertilisers,” he said.
The CS said the declaration recommended raising the use of fertilisers from eight kilogrammes of nutrients per ha to 50kg of nutrients per ha in 10 years.
It also recommended the establishment of an African Fertiliser Financing Mechanism to improve agricultural productivity by providing financing required to boost fertiliser use in Africa, and achieve the target of 50kg of nutrients per hectare.
He noted that 17 years later, Africa’s agriculture and food security narrative has evolved significantly but Africa falls short of the Abuja Declaration targets.
“We are listening to our land here in Kenya and are very aware the solution for our soil health challenges is not a one-size-fits-all approach, but rather listening to what the soil needs in various regions,” the CS said.
Linturi stressed that despite progress, Africa still falls short of the targets set forth.
In Kenya, the government's intervention through fertiliser subsidy programmes seeks to boost usage, promote sustainable agricultural practices, and improve livelihoods and food security.
He said plans are underway to distribute 12.5 million bags of subsidised fertiliser across the country for the 2024 long and short rainy seasons.
“With a subsidy outlay of Sh3.55 billion, the programme is intended to bolster the agricultural sector and help to stabilise food prices. To date, about 3.6 million (50kg) bags of subsidised fertiliser has been distributed across the country for the long rains 2024 season,” he said.
“Despite these efforts, Africa continues to grapple with unsustainable soil management practices, leading to soil degradation and reduced agricultural productivity,” he said.
Linturi said this is causing nutrient mining and increased soil degradation, reduced carbon stocks and resilience to climate change and shocks. What we must understand is when soil organic matter decreases, mineral fertilisers become less efficient, leading to a downward spiral in agricultural productivity, with devastating effects on the productive capacity of the soils and on food and nutrition security on the continent,” the CS said.
The Agriculture PS Kipronoh Ronoh said Kenya's fertiliser usage remains below the global average, emphasising the country's potential to bridge this gap.
By 2021, the consumption of nitrogen fertilisers stood at 195.38 million tonnes.
China is the world's largest consumer of fertilisers. In 2021, the Asian country consumed more than 42 million tonnes worth of nutrients, followed by India and Brazil at 29.8 and 21.17 million tonnes respectively.
The PS said Kenya is at about 55kgs of nutrients per ha,and is among the countries that have achieved this target.
“However, this is still far below its fertiliser apparent annual consumption potential of 1.5 million tonnes. The current apparent annual consumption is estimated at 750,000 tonnes which is just 50 per cent of the potential,” Ronoh said.
By hosting the summit, Kenya stands to gain not only through increased foreign exchange earnings but also by showcasing its research and development activities.
Moreover, the summit presents an invaluable opportunity to forge stronger partnerships and linkages in the pursuit of sustainable agriculture across the continent.