A new Kenyan initiative is helping farmers better understand their soils in a bid to improve crop yields amid intensifying climate shocks.

The Soil Mapping for Resilient Agrifood systems (SoilFER) programme supports farmers to develop reliable soil information that will inform agricultural decisions such as which fertilizer to use and how much.

So far, more than 3,600 soil samples have been collected and mapped across 45 counties, contributing to a digital soil map designed to provide farmers with location-specific information about their land.

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Select farmers also receive training to diagnose and fix soil degradation - earning the title "soil doctor" - who then go on to teach their peers.

SoilFER was launched through a partnership between the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) in Kabete, with financial support from the United States Department of State and Japan.

'Now we know better'

For Agness Munialo, a farmer from Kakamega county in western Kenya, learning about soil composition and fertility has changed how she thinks about farming.

"Farmers would use excessive chemicals, sometimes even more fertilizers in an attempt to get more yields. Now we know better," she said.

Ms. Munialo, a trained soil doctor who participated in the SoilFER programme, said the initiative was helping farmers, particularly in rural areas, better understand soil composition, pH levels and fertility.

According to Barrack Okoba, FAO-Kenya's national coordinator of the programme, making soil information accessible is essential to building resilience in agriculture.

"Part of resilience is to make sure that our information system is available and supporting farmers to build sustainable farm management," he said.

Through the support of FAO, KALRO has renovated three labs and equipped them with state-of-the-art technology to support analysis of soil samples collected across the country.

The samples are georeferenced, with the findings transmitted directly to farmers' mobile phones.

Gen Z in agriculture

The initiative is also attracting interest from young people exploring opportunities in agriculture.

Jackline Kioko, a KALRO intern who participated in the launch, said the information shared had given her a better understanding of how soil testing could inform decisions on her family's farm.

"I'd love to do farming more, now that I have the information that you can actually test your soils to know what nutrients it requires," she said.

Collaboration and information sharing

Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture, Mutahi Kagwe called for stronger collaboration among agricultural institutions to promote coordinated decision-making, enhance information sharing, and ensure that soil health is integrated into the work of all relevant institutions.

"I want to urge Kenyans that before thinking about what to plant or the fertilizer to use, think about soil testing," he said.

The event also marked the launch of the Kenya Soil Partnership, the Kenya Soil Laboratory Network and the national rollout of the Global Soil Doctors Programme.

The SoilFER programme is currently being implemented in six other countries: Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Mozambique, Tunisia and Zambia.