- The countries promised to support efforts of natural gas producing member states in fertiliser manufacture to increase their production and ensure availability at stable prices.
- Member states further committed to reverse land degradation and restore soil health on at least 30 per cent of degraded soil by 2034.
Image: PCS
African states have committed to triple domestic production and distribution of certified quality organic and inorganic fertilisers by 2034.
In a declaration made at the end of the Africa Fertiliser and Soil Health Summit at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, nations further committed to improving access and affordability of farm input for smallholder farmers.
“We commit to make available by 2034, to at least 70 per cent of smallholder farmers on the continent, targeted agronomic recommendations for specific crops, soils, and climatic conditions to ensure greater efficiency and sustainable use of fertilisers,” the document reads in part.
The continent currently produces approximately 30 million metric tons of mineral fertiliser each year.
The meeting was told most of it is exported outside the continent and the majority of member states are still over-dependent on imported fertilisers, especially non-phosphate-based fertilisers which expose Africa to external market shocks and price volatility.
The countries promised to support the efforts of natural gas-producing member states in fertiliser manufacture to increase their production and ensure availability at stable prices.
Member states further committed to reversing land degradation and restoring soil health on at least 30 per cent of degraded soil by 2034.
Countries agreed to fully operationalize the Africa Fertiliser Financing Mechanism (AFFM) to improve production, procurement, and distribution of organic and inorganic fertilisers, and soil health interventions.
The summit is an African Union meeting which brings together the African Heads of State and Government, ministers responsible for Foreign Affairs and Agriculture, high-ranking government officials, senior policymakers and private-sector players.
Other participants include representatives of farmer organisations and development agencies, including NGOs, scholars and scientists, and representatives of leading donor organisations.
The objective of the summit is to highlight the crucial role of fertiliser and soil health in stimulating pro-poor productivity growth in African agriculture and to agree on an African Fertiliser and Soil Health Action Plan as well as the Soils Initiative for Africa.
The 2006 Abuja Declaration on Fertiliser for the African Green Revolution identified the critical need to increase fertiliser use to stimulate agricultural productivity growth to end hunger and poverty in Africa.
The meeting in Nairobi noted that since the adoption of the Abuja Declaration in 2006, fertiliser consumption in Africa has only increased from an average of 8kg/ha to about 18kg/ha in 2022, which is less than half of the target of 50kg/ha set in the declaration.
Participants were told that the average global fertiliser consumption rate is about 135kg/ha and that Africa’s average consumption rate of 18kg/ha is only 13 per cent of the global rate.
The meeting agreed that increasing the use of fertilisers, both mineral and organic resources, is imperative for increasing productivity and soil health restoration.
Participants requested the AU Commission to mobilise financial and technical resources to execute these commitments in close cooperation with the various existing climate funds.
Member states are committed to formulating and implementing policies and regulations to create a conducive environment for fertiliser and soil health interventions.