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Strengthening sustainable soil management in Africa through accurate, spatialised data

Information on soils is vital for managing agriculture and the environment in Africa. The rapid decline in soil health on the continent poses a threat to food security, economic development and resilience to climate change.

The African Union Soil Observatory (AUSO) is intended to facilitate the delivery of accurate, spatially explicit data on soils in Africa, to enable the implementation of technical, political and infrastructure measures that support sustainable soil health management.

Building an African soil health observatory

The AUSO project is based on a structured approach aimed at improving knowledge, management and monitoring of soil health in Africa.

It includes an inventory of existing national soil data, as well as an analysis of the policies and collective actions implemented for soil preservation. This review will help to coordinate the contributions of project partners and to support the co-construction, ownership and long-term sustainability of the observatory, with and for the stakeholders identified.

The project also provides for the co-construction of soil health indicators and their interpretation thresholds, which will form the scientific basis of the observatory. To ensure its sustainability, a strategic and scientific plan for the monitoring and development of the observatory will be produced.

Finally, the project aims to establish the African Soil Data Centre (ASDAC) and to develop the digital platform that will host the interface of the observatory.

Supporting public policy and action for soil health in Africa

At the continental level, the AUSO project aims to:

• develop an evolving dashboard on soil health, accompanied by a long-term soil health monitoring plan;
• identify national and regional thresholds for the main soil health indicators;
• strategically collect new data to address gaps for different soil health indicators, such as pollution, compaction, biodiversity, nutrient availability, acidity and soil organic matter;
• improve the accuracy and usefulness of the dashboard through consultation with national stakeholders;

• help participating countries to develop or refine national soil health strategies, to manage soil resources for agricultural and environmental purposes, to establish use cases and to provide training on the interpretation and application of the information produced by the observatory.