The TAAT Soil Health Toolkit is a curated collection of practical, field-validated technologies designed to support governments, the private sector and development organizations in restoring, improving and monitoring soil health at scale. The toolkit assembles context-specific soil health practices that strengthen core soil functions: water retention, nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, and suppression of pests and diseases. The catalogued solutions span from a wide range of proven options, from conservation agriculture such as minimum tillage and surface mulching of soils, to maize-legume rotations and intercropping systems, as well as organic input innovations like biochar and Black Soldier Fly-based products. In addition, the toolkit integrates practical tools for assessing and tracking soil health status over time, enabling evidence-based decision-making.
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Solar-Powered, Cost-Effective, and Ecologically Smart BioFertilizer for Thriving Crops and Sustainable Agriculture To address challenges like climate-induced land degradation and the limited adoption of traditional composting, ABC Grower emerges as an innovative solution. With efficient and cost-effective fertilization, precise formulation for improved efficiency, solar-powered production, and economic valorization of weeds, ABC Grower aligns with the agroecological transition in West Africa, offering a sustainable response to evolving agricultural needs.
Scan Nutrients. Get Answers. Act Fast. The AgroCares handheld Nutrient Scanner is a portable, digital tool that delivers instant nutrient analysis of soil, leaves, and feed. With a smartphone and app, agro-service providers can offer rapid testing to clients anywhere—eliminating delays and reducing costs. This creates a new revenue stream, improves customer loyalty, and supports precise input sales. With each scan, data flows to the cloud, building business intelligence for product development or advisory services. The device requires no chemicals, is easy to use, and scales efficiently across locations.
From Waste to Resource Peels from bananas and plantains, often overlooked, hold significant value in various applications. They serve as animal feed, organic soil input, and even find uses in cooking, water purification, and beauty products. However, the challenge lies in their chemical composition and nutrient ratios, necessitating proper handling for animal feed and soil treatment. Despite their potential, a lack of awareness about the diverse utility of peels has led to unnecessary waste accumulation in urban areas. Understanding and harnessing the multifaceted benefits of peels is essential for both sustainable agriculture and waste reduction.
Biochar, a powerfully circular way to fight climate change Sub-Saharan Africa's agricultural productivity is hampered by degraded soils and high input losses. Over 40% of soils lack structure and nutrients, limiting their ability to retain water and fertiliser. Farmers typically use only 20 kg of fertiliser per hectare—far below the global average—resulting in low returns on investment. Meanwhile, the region's dependence on biomass for energy creates environmental and supply chain risks due to deforestation. Biochar presents a business opportunity to deliver value-added products and services that tackle both soil health and sustainable energy use. As a soil enhancer, it increases nutrient retention and fertilizer efficiency, helping farmers maximize yields and reduce costs. As a carbon-rich material, it aligns with green investment and carbon market initiatives. Investing in biochar solutions opens the door to scalable, climate-smart agri-business models.
Low cost fertilizer for healthy and profitable agriculture for African farmers. In Sub-Saharan Africa, farmers face significant challenges such as declining soil fertility, limited access to quality fertilizers, and the high cost of agricultural inputs, all of which affect crop yields and food security. The BSFF technology presents a promising solution to these challenges. It contains high levels of essential nutrients like nitrogen (1.7–1.9%), phosphorus (1.0–2.5%), potassium, and various micronutrients that significantly improve soil fertility. This technology can help farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa increase productivity, improve food security, and promote environmentally sustainable agriculture.
Conservation Agriculture for Sustainable Farming In regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, where dry tropical conditions and diminishing soil fertility pose significant challenges to wheat production, the adoption of Minimal Tillage and Surface Mulching of Soils is paramount. Traditional farming practices, characterized by excessive tillage and minimal organic matter incorporation, have led to the degradation of crucial soil functions, including nutrient retention and water management. With dwindling water resources due to drought spells and overexploitation, Conservation Agriculture (CA) emerges as a cost-effective solution. CA enhances wheat grain yields, ensures resilience to water scarcity, and benefits both farmers' incomes and the environment by promoting soil biodiversity, reducing emissions, and sequestering carbon, making it a vital strategy for sustainable wheat production in dryland farming systems.
CBT: Nurturing Crops, Conserving Soil, and Cultivating Resilience In dryland farming, having enough water is a big challenge. Changes in rain due to climate change can risk our food supply. To improve crop growth and strength in Africa’s dry areas, it’s important to catch as much rainwater as possible and reduce water running off the surface. The Contour Bunding Technique (CBT) uses small walls placed carefully along the curves of the field to create small water collection areas. These walls stop the water from running off, help catch more rain, store more water, allow water to sink deep into the ground, and prevent soil from washing away and ditches from forming. This is a simple but professional way to explain the concept.
Catch the Rain, Grow with the Grain! The Demi-lune (half-moon) technology is a simple land restoration method used mainly in arid and semi-arid regions. By digging semi-circular pits to capture rainwater and restore soil fertility, it tackles land degradation, water scarcity, and low productivity. First used in Burkina Faso in the 1980s, it has spread to Niger, Mali, Chad, and Senegal. Suitable for millet, sorghum, and legumes, it boosts yields and soil health, helps farmers adapt to climate change, and supports SDGs like No Poverty and Climate Action.
Maize-legume: Savings in Soil, Growth in Profit Maize-legume rotation and intercropping is an innovative agricultural practice that combines the cultivation of maize and legumes on the same plot of land. This technique has proven to be highly beneficial, enhancing soil fertility through nitrogen fixation, increasing land and resource use efficiency, reducing weed and pest infestations, and ultimately leading to higher crop yields. It not only provides subsistence farmers with a more balanced and nutritious diet but also helps mitigate the risks associated with crop failure due to factors like drought or pests. This sustainable approach has made a significant impact in Sub-Saharan Africa, improving food security and agricultural productivity.
Empowering Farmers with Digital Guidance The NextGen Advisory is an online advisory tool, a comprehensive decision support system designed to provide site-specific fertilizer recommendations for key crops in Ethiopia, such as maize, teff, and wheat. It integrates hyper-localized data and tailored approaches to address specific household needs under the integrated soil fertility management plus (ISFM+) framework. Additionally, the tool offers crucial climate information services to guide farmers on optimal planting dates and fertilizer application timings. By leveraging various technologies and machine learning algorithms, this tool aims to enhance agricultural productivity and sustainability by delivering precise, actionable advisories directly to farmers.
Advanced Soybean Inoculation Solution for Sustainable Agriculture NoduMax is a cutting-edge soybean inoculation technology designed to enhance the efficiency of soybean cultivation while promoting sustainable agricultural practices. This innovative solution optimizes root nodulation and biological nitrogen fixation, reducing the dependency on costly nitrogen fertilizers.
Unlock Maize Potential with Balanced Fertilizer Bliss! Balanced Fertilizer Blend for Maize is a specialized mixture of nutrients crucial for optimal maize growth. Proper application of this blend ensures robust root systems, disease resistance, and improved grain production. It addresses the issue of inadequate nutrient supply which often leads to subpar yields and environmental losses. This technology provides a cost-effective and efficient solution for maize farmers, enhancing both profitability and sustainability.
Smarter Fertilizer, Stronger Crops: Maximize Growth with Minimal Input "Micro-dosing of Fertilizers in Precision Agriculture," holds significant importance for small-scale millet and sorghum farmers. These farmers often face challenges related to inadequate fertilizer use, leading to soil fertility decline and increased risk of crop failure. Micro-dosing offers a crucial solution by allowing precise and efficient application of small fertilizer quantities at the base of each plant. This approach minimizes risk, reduces input costs, and results in improved crop establishment, nutrient absorption, and water utilization. By utilizing this technology, farmers can enhance yields, protect the environment by reducing nutrient loss, and ultimately promote sustainable and profitable agricultural practices.
Turning Waste into Wealth for Greener Fields The processing and application of composted manures play a crucial role in enhancing agricultural practices. Goat and sheep manure, in particular, offer valuable benefits due to their nutrient-rich and naturally pelleted form. Composting this manure not only deactivates potential hazards like pathogens and weed seeds but also produces organic fertilizers, contributing to sustainable and productive farming while minimizing environmental risks.
Harvest More, Worry Less with Sweet Potato-Legume Relay Intercropping Relay intercropping of sweet potato with legumes revolutionizes agriculture by increasing yields, optimizing land and resource use, and reducing pest damage. This method enhances soil nitrogen availability, promoting sweet potato tuber production while reducing the need for nitrogen fertilizers. It not only ensures a more nutritious diet for subsistence farmers but also safeguards against food shortages during crop failures caused by drought or pests.
Empower the soil data community with best practice tools and lessons learned for a sustainable SIS! The SIS Framework, developed by CABI and ISRIC, provides a step-by-step guide for designing soil information systems. It integrates financial, institutional, and technological considerations across four practical phases: initiation, planning and design, implementation, and operationalization.
Soil Information Workflow turns data into insights, helping professionals make smarter, sustainable decisions. The soil information workflow provides an innovative approach to managing and accessing comprehensive soil data, enabling better-informed decision-making in agriculture and land management. Its enhances the way soil data is collected, analyzed, and disseminated, offering a more dynamic and accurate Soil Information System (SIS). The system integrates data from diverse sources, including satellite imagery, field surveys, and soil samples, allowing stakeholders, such as farmers, researchers, and policymakers, to make data-driven decisions that enhance soil health and agricultural practices.
N-fixing bacteria to reduce chemical fertilizer use Stimuplant is an inoculant designed for diverse legume crops, leveraging a symbiotic association with Rhizobia bacteria. This unique collaboration enhances nitrogen levels in the soil, contributing 40 to 150 kg per hectare. Certified with CERES organic certification, Stimuplant ensures sustainable and organic farming practices. The innovative UPL powder carrier technology shields bacteria from harsh environmental conditions, providing extended shelf life (9 months) and offering practical packaging tailored for smallholder farmers. This multifaceted solution addresses nitrogen scarcity, promotes organic certification, and enhances the accessibility of inoculants for farmers.
Boost rice yields and save on fertilizer costs through efficient nitrogen management The technology of Deep Urea Placement offers a significant solution to the challenges of nitrogen fertilizer application in Sub-Saharan Africa's rice paddies. By drilling large urea granules or briquettes into the soil, it allows for a slow release of nitrogen into the root zone of rice crops, improving nutrient uptake, soil fertility, and crop productivity. This approach not only enhances grain yield and quality but also leads to cost savings, additional income for farmers, reduced environmental nitrogen losses, and ultimately contributes to food security and reduced dependence on food imports.
Transforming waste into wealth The technology, "Poultry Manure Value Addition," involves processing chicken manure to create a nutrient-rich organic fertilizer. This practice addresses challenges associated with raw manure, such as pathogens, root damage, and odor. By composting and applying value addition methods, the manure becomes a valuable input for enhancing soil fertility and improving crop yields in agricultural production. This technology primarily contributes to the pre-production phase of the agricultural value chain, focusing on the processing of organic fertilizers before they are utilized in crop cultivation or livestock farming.
Zaï pits are a traditional water-harvesting technique used in the Sahel to combat low rainfall, soil degradation, and poor soil fertility. By digging small pits that trap rainwater and organic matter, farmers can improve moisture retention, nutrient availability, and crop yields by 60–90%. This cost-effective method enables the rehabilitation of degraded lands and enhances the resilience of millet and sorghum crops. When combined with other soil and water conservation techniques, Zaï pits significantly contribute to sustainable dryland agriculture.
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