Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit Convenes to Address Food Security and Agricultural Growth

African leaders, policymakers, and agricultural stakeholders are gathering in Nairobi, Kenya, for the inaugural Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit (AFSH). The summit, held May 7-9, 2024, at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, aims to address the continent’s declining soil health and its impact on food security and agricultural productivity.

The summit is a response to the June 2006 Abuja Declaration on Fertilizer for the African Green Revolution, which sought to reverse declining soil fertility across Africa. The declaration set ambitious targets for boosting fertilizer use and establishing an African Fertilizer Financing Mechanism (AFFM).

Fifteen years later, the AFSH Summit will re-examine Africa’s agricultural landscape, taking into account the evolving fertilizer market and the growing recognition of sustainable soil management practices. The summit’s focus reflects growing concerns that deteriorating soil health undermines progress in agricultural productivity, food security, and economic development, particularly for rural communities dependent on agriculture.