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African Union Soil Observatory

Project description

Reversing Africa’s soil crisis through data

Soil degradation is threatening Africa’s food systems, biodiversity and livelihoods. This is putting harvests at risk and pushing vulnerable communities deeper into poverty. Climate change and unsustainable farming are worsening the situation, especially for women and young people. However, efforts to reverse the trend are held back by a lack of reliable, accessible soil data. With this in mind, the EU-funded AUSO project is working with African partners to establish a continent-wide African Union Soil Observatory, including a Soil Data Centre and Health Dashboard. By consolidating data and helping 12 countries shape soil strategies, AUSO will equip decision-makers with the tools needed to promote sustainable land use and restore Africa’s soils.

Objective

Africa's soils are in crisis, with widespread degradation threatening agricultural productivity, biodiversity, and water regulation. Unsustainable farming practices, climate change, and population growth exacerbate this issue, leading to reduced crop yields, food insecurity, and economic hardship for millions. Women and youth are particularly affected, facing increased workloads and limited educational and economic opportunities. Addressing these challenges requires accurate and accessible soil health data, which is often unavailable or hard to obtain across the continent. This hampers policymakers and researchers in monitoring soil conditions, tracking changes, and implementing targeted interventions.

The AUSO project aims to tackle these issues by establishing a continental African Union Soil Observatory (AUSO), which includes an African Soil Data Center (ASDAC) and a Soil Health Dashboard to fill existing data gaps. Managed by FARA and owned by the African Union Commission, the AUSO will consolidate soil data from various national and international sources, creating a user-friendly platform for soil health monitoring. Through efforts to address data shortages and develop national soil health strategies in 12 countries, AUSO will empower stakeholders in the public and private sectors to make informed decisions, prioritize interventions, and support evidence-based soil and land management policies that promote sustainable agriculture.

AUSO will build on the Soils4Africa SIS and draw insights from the EU Soil Observatory and other initiatives, ensuring relevance and adaptability to the African context. The project will adopt a co-development approach, engaging stakeholders from national agricultural institutes, government departments, and other key organizations.

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

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HORIZON-IA - HORIZON Innovation Actions

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) HORIZON-MISS-2024-SOIL-01

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Coordinator

FORUM FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH IN AFRICA, GHANA
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 212 562,50
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 1 212 562,50

Participants (20)

Partners (2)

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