Soil serves as the foundation for food production, water filtration, carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, and overall ecosystem resilience. Yet, youth-led soil health interventions for climate mitigation have been overlooked. Youth comprise 36.7% of Zambia's population, 69% of whom are involved in agri-food systems through primary production, agri processing, trading and retailing. This disengagement of the young in soil health interventions leaves youth in the Agri-food systems space vulnerable to further climate-related shocks. It is crucial to engage the youth in order to catalyze action towards safeguarding one of our most precious natural resources - our soils. Soil health and youth engagement must be considered as part of the broader climate mitigation and adaptation agenda. The event will focus on how youth can be better engaged at multiple scales of soil health interventions to accelerate climate resilience and soil restoration.

The right to food is a fundamental human right, yet millions of people globally still experience hunger and malnutrition. Achieving food security and improved nutrition remains a critical challenge, exacerbated by climate change, population growth, and political instability. On the other hand, sustainable agriculture, soil health, and responsible fertilizer use are essential to ensuring that the world’s food production meets rising demand while protecting the environment and natural resources.

In October, two global observances—Global Fertilizer Day on October 13th and World Food Day on October 16th—highlighted the importance of agriculture and fertilizers in addressing global food security challenges. On December 5, World Soil Day 2024 will emphasize the theme “Caring for Soils: Measure, Monitor, Manage," emphasizing the importance of accurate soil data and information to understand soil characteristics and make informed decisions about sustainable soil management.

This webinar aims to bring together experts, policymakers, and agricultural stakeholders to explore how fertilizers, soil health, and sustainable agricultural practices can collectively enhance food security, improve livelihoods, and protect our environment.

The "International Science Festival: Agriculture – Food - Environment" is back for its fourth edition, this year on the theme: "Water, from its sources to the ocean".

Find out all about scientists’ contributions to the global challenges of water risk management, the preservation of freshwater resources and marine ecosystem with 12 European and International experts.

Join the fourth session of the 2024 KHub workshop, "The long-term perspective –Sustainable approaches to maintain soil health & carbon sequestration." This online session will take place on November 7 at 3 PM (Paris time, UTC +1) and will be moderated by Dr. Silvia Poblador Ibañez from University of Barcelona – Spain.

During this session, speakers discuss key topics related to:

• Identifying and implementing practices that enhance long-term soil health, particularly in the context of climate change

• Evaluating the sustainability and effectiveness of carbon sequestration methods and their long-term impacts on soil health

• Exploring how carbon sequestration influences soil resilience and contributes to climate adaptation strategies

• Addressing the socio-economic dynamics and institutional challenges that affect the adaptation and implementation of sustainable soil management practices.

Mark your calendars for the upcoming symposium, “Future Proofing: Unified Action for Soil Health and Food Security,” on November 4 at KIT in Amsterdam, Netherlands! 

The health of our soil is fundamental to achieving sustainable agriculture, ensuring food security, and preserving our environment. As global challenges intensify, collaborative efforts and innovative solutions are more essential than ever. 

IFDC warmly invites you to join this significant event. The symposium will convene leading experts from various fields, including agriculture, policy, innovation, and finance, to discuss and strategize on enhancing soil health and sustainable practices. 

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This session will showcase advancements in soil health monitoring from robust field survey designs, to innovations in laboratory methods including soil spectroscopy, as well as advancements in remote sensing. The session will highlight the critical importance of these monitoring methodologies to be applied to answer key knowledge gaps on the impact of land management and landscape restoration practices on soil health. Furthermore, this session will highlight the inclusion of citizen science, to bring stakeholders and communities into the monitoring process, which can lead to the scaling of healthy soil practices. Finally, this session will discuss opportunities to bring evidence to bear for decision-making. 

SIANI, the Eastern African Farmers Federation, and the Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH) host a hybrid side event at the 2024 World Food Forum Flagship event in Rome, during 14 to 18 October 2024. The event explores youth-led initiatives for soil health, aiming to inspire action and address the pressing need to identify and scale up solutions for regenerating soils.

What proposals do other regions or countries have in terms of public and private schemes to promote the soil organic carbon (SOC) storage? How can they contribute to the ongoing discussions on the Carbon Removals Certification Framework (CRCF) from the European Commission?

This workshop will give you an insight into what is happening in the United States and Australia, as well as an overview of the context in the Pacific region and Europe.

Meeting SDG2 will require radical improvements in regenerative and sustainable agricultural production. The science to support such improvements is fueled by a wide diversity of knowledge sources ranging from cutting-edge scientific research to Indigenous practices honed through generations. Maybe more than in other areas of scientific research, this science –and its successful application—hinges on inclusivity and uncommon collaborations.

This session will highlight scientific advances, applications, and lessons learned for inclusivity and collaboration across the three areas of research and development fundamental to improving regenerative and sustainable agriculture: soil health, adapted and diverse crops, and sustainable productivity growth. Furthermore, this session will build on the recent Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit Action Plan and Declaration.

Join us for the “Mozambican Saline Agriculture Research and practice” (MoSARP) project's kickoff webinar, focusing on agroforestry solutions to combat coastal land degradation in Eastern Africa. This event will gather experts and stakeholders to discuss current challenges, share knowledge, and lay the groundwork for future project phases.

Can Africa show the world a sustainable way forward?

The climate crisis is taking a toll on Africa – and especially on rural communities that depend on natural resources for their livelihoods.

How should the continent respond to these challenges, and what lessons can it teach the rest of humanity?

On 17 September, join us for a global conference to find out how Africa can navigate the future of three shifting landscapes: forests and savannas, drylands, and freshwater and oceans.

In Nairobi, Kenya, or online from wherever you are, you’ll be joined by thousands of people gathered to forge a prosperous and sustainable future for Africa’s land- and seascapes, powered by local solutions.

This insightful event will highlight the principles and practices of regenerative agriculture. Our two expert speakers — Dr. Andre Leu, International Director at Regeneration International, and Florence Reed, Founder + Director of Strategic Growth at Sustainable Harvest International— will share their experiences with sustainable farming practices that nourish communities and the Earth.

Webinar Focus: This webinar will emphasize the storage, publication, and sharing of EJP SOIL results, aligning with the Horizon 2020 Open Science principles. Key topics will include:

• Understanding Open Science Requirements specific to EJP SOIL

• Utilization of the EJP SOIL Metadata Catalogue.

Soils provide the basis for over 90% of food production for the African population and hold great potential as carbon sinks. Yet, 65% of Africa's productive land is considered degraded, resulting in estimated losses of over $9 billion annually. The impacts are particularly severe for women and youth with unequal access to land and healthy soils. Urgent and large-scale action is needed to meet the Nairobi Declaration target of reversing land degradation and restoring soil health on 30% of degraded soils in Africa by 2034, and to ensure food and nutrition security, livelihoods and climate resilience for a growing population.

This side event will start with a high-energy keynote about the status of soil health in Africa and then transition into two interactive panel discussions. The first panel will highlight existing high and low-tech innovations for optimizing soil health. The second panel will discuss scaling innovations to accelerate pathways to accelerate soil health action across the continent, with a focus on achieving impact through multi-stakeholder partnerships and policy instruments for market-based scaling. The session will conclude with closing remarks, summarizing the key insights and take-aways for governments, funders, implementers, and private sector actors.

There is increasing recognition that, although each Rio Convention has its own distinct objectives and commitments, they are mutually dependent and inherently interconnected. The Conventions address many of the same environmental and sustainable development issues and operate within the same ecosystems. This event will highlight the synergies between these critical international agreements, and discuss common threads that unite the Conventions. Through expert discussions, inspiring youth contributions, and interactive sessions, we aim to foster a deeper understanding of how integrated approaches can address global environmental challenges.

Global EverGreening Alliance is hosting a webinar on 30 July 2024, 15h00 EAT.

Join the online event as Dr Winowiecki discusses advancements in monitoring soil health, land degradation and vegetation diversity, with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa.

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Details to follow