Advancing Soil Health in Mediterranean African Countries

The Soil Carbon IRC team, led by Suzanne Reynders (INRAE), took part in the “International 4 per 1000 Mediterranean Regional Conference 2024” held from 22–25 October 2024 at the Institute of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine in Hassan II, Rabat, Morocco.

The conference addressed urgent soil health challenges in Africa’s Mediterranean region, including soil erosion, salinisation, and low organic carbon. Dr. Oluwole Fatunbi, from the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and the African Regional Node Ambassador for the Soil Carbon IRC, gave a presentation on the need for the continent to develop its sustainable agriculture on the basis of science, including the advanced agroecology approach. Moreover, he argued for tailored soil management practices and advocated for the establishment of a Soil Information System (SIS) to guide farmers and land users to stop land degradation and improve soil health in the region.

In his closing speech, Stéphane Le Foll, President of the “4p1000” Initiative, highlighted the collaborative work carried out in Africa by Oluwole Fatunbi and the Soil Carbon IRC team. He reaffirmed the alignment of research between these two initiatives, as well as their strong commitment and mission to advance knowledge and provide practical solutions for soil health.

Driving forward soil carbon MRV

One of the main objectives of the Soil Carbon IRC is to propose an harmonised Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) framework that will greatly facilitate the day-to-day work of many experts in the environmental sector and soil carbon management. That’s why in Rabat, Ainhoa Ihasusta from INRAE Toulouse’s CesBio team presented her latest findings on the subject and explained how they could be implemented to support innovative soil carbon practices and management, including agricultural soils.

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