IPNI Led Soil Health Consortia Disseminates Information to Stakeholders in SSA

A partnership between IPNI and national agricultural actors in consortia countries Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Zambia & Malawi has yielded a series of demand driven books/manuals and communication products for use by extension workers, policy, researchers and trainees on various aspects of soil fertility management. There has been a huge deficit in country specific agricultural information for use by various agricultural stakeholders often leading to poor adoption of appropriate agricultural technologies by farmers. The communication products have been produced under the platform of the Soil Health Consortia for Eastern and Southern Africa, after a survey on the agricultural information deficit in the consortia countries was carried out. Key among recently released books include: A farmer field school facilitator module for Rwanda, A training module for agriculture teachers in secondary schools, Integrated Soil Fertility Management for Zambia’s agricultural extension workers, The status of fertilizer recommendations in Malawi: Gaps, challenges and opportunities, and Integrated Soil Fertility Management in Zambia. In Zambia and Rwanda, the materials were launched in a state function presided by the respective state ministers for agriculture. The materials developed by the consortia have been circulated to agricultural extension and research departments, university libraries and posted on the relevant consortia websites. A number of policy guideline instruments have also been produced for Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Mozambique and distributed to the relevant policy organs. Additionally, the consortia has partnered with media in Zambia, Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya to discuss key pertinent issues on fertilizer use efficiency, 4R nutrient stewardship, agricultural research-extension nexus and Integrated Soil Fertility Management on media platforms with a viewership and listenership of more than 10 million people. For more information click HERE.