By Samuel Ssempala
World Soil Day, marked on December 5, reminds us of a simple yet profound truth: the soil beneath our feet is the foundation of life itself.
This year’s theme, “Caring for Soils: Measure, Monitor, Manage,” offers a critical lens into how understanding and preserving our soil health is key to achieving sustainable development, ensuring food security, and fostering resilient livelihoods.
Yet, this narrative must go beyond scientific jargon and metrics – it is about people, particularly those who depend on the soil for their survival.
It is about women tilling fields at dawn, youth innovating in agriculture despite difficult odds, and communities rallying to protect the very resource that nourishes and sustains them. The story of soil is, at its core, the story of resilience.
Across the African continent, smallholder farmers, especially women and youth, are not only the custodians of the soil, but also its lifeline. Yet, this lifeline is weakening.
Soil degradation driven by unsustainable farming practices, climate change, and economic pressures, is robbing millions of farmers of their most vital resource.
In Uganda, vast tracts of highland farming areas are losing their fertility at alarming rates, placing both livelihoods and food security in jeopardy.
According to the African Union, Africa loses an estimated $68 billion annually due to soil degradation, with Uganda among the most affected.
This crisis is not just local; it underscores a global need for coordinated action to restore soil health and sustainable farming practices.
The relationship between soil and livelihoods is as delicate as it is profound. Healthy soil is a medium for growing crops, but moreover, it is a reservoir of life, storing water, cycling nutrients, and supporting ecosystems that sustain humanity.
Degraded soil, on the other hand, traps communities in persistent cycles of poverty, hunger, and vulnerability to climate shocks. Women and youth are disproportionately affected.
Women often bear the brunt of labour-intensive farming tasks while grappling with reduced agricultural yields that compromise household food security, while youth face diminishing livelihood opportunities, increasing the likelihood of abandoning farming altogether.
Despite these challenges, women and youth hold the key to reversing soil degradation: women, through their roles in sustainable land management and decision-making, and youth, by adopting innovative, regenerative agricultural techniques.
For these reasons, the call to measure, monitor, and manage soil health must resonate far beyond the scientific community. Any solution that answers this call must first serve the people who manage the land.
Initiatives such as the Building Resilience and Inclusive Growth of Highland Farming Systems for rural Transformation (BRIGHT) project in Uganda, implemented by the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) and funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands in Uganda, lead the way in These programs demonstrate how empowering farmers with knowledge, tools, and market connections transforms lives.
Through inclusive farm planning that helps households allocate resources efficiently, the adoption of climate-smart techniques such as cover crops and conservation tillage to reduce erosion, and strategic natural resource conservation efforts like reforestation and sustainable water management, BRIGHT improves soil health, uplifts livelihoods by increasing agricultural yields and incomes, and fosters resilience against climate shocks.
It also fortifies the economic foundation of farming communities, uplifts livelihoods, fosters resilience, and secures However, real change demands more than isolated projects. It calls for a transformational shift in how we value and manage our soil.
Governments, donor communities, development organizations, and the private sector must converge around a shared commitment to protecting this critical resource.
Policies should incentivize sustainable practices, investments must prioritize innovation in soil management, and farmers must be equipped – not only with fertilizers and inputs, but also with the education and resources to use them effectively alongside good agricultural practices.
Inclusivity is at the heart of this transformation. Women, who are often the unsung heroes of agriculture, must be given equitable access to land, inputs, and decision-making platforms.
Youth, whose energy, and creativity are essential for long-term solutions, must see agriculture as a viable, dignified, and profitable enterprise. Together, these groups hold the key to caring for soil and reimagining agriculture as a driver of prosperity, equity, and sustainability.
World Soil Day offers an opportunity to reflect on the intricate web of connections between soil, food systems, and livelihoods. It challenges us to think about soil not as a passive resource but as a living, breathing entity that deserves our care and attention.
World Soil Day also challenges us to act, not tomorrow or next year, but today. The urgency is undeniable. With the world’s population expected to exceed nine billion by 2050, the pressure on our agricultural systems will only intensify.
If we fail to care for our soil now, we risk compromising the very foundation of life for generations to come. This is a moment for solidarity and bold action.
It is a moment to acknowledge the resilience of smallholder farmers, particularly the women and youth who work tirelessly to feed the world while safeguarding its future.
It is also a moment to reaffirm that the solutions we seek, whether through technology, policy, or community engagement, must be rooted in inclusivity, equity, and sustainability.
In this context, commitments made by the African Union (AU) at the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit in May 2024 offer a beacon of hope and a roadmap for action.
The Nairobi Declaration and 10-Year Action Plan for Fertilizer and Soil Health, which include ambitious goals such as tripling fertilizer production, ensuring widespread access to extension services, and restoring 30% of degraded soils by 2034, align perfectly with the World Soil Day theme and provide a continental framework for addressing the very issues we face in Uganda.
As we move forward, our national policies and practices must align with these AU commitments, positioning Uganda as a leader in sustainable soil management within the region and contributing to the larger African initiative to protect and restore our precious soils.
As we celebrate World Soil Day, let us recognize that caring for the soil is not merely an agricultural challenge. It is a responsibility shared by all of us. Yes, every one of us as humans has a role to play.
The soil beneath us is the silent witness to our past, the sustainer of our present, and the hope of our future. On this day, let us commit to measuring its health with precision, monitoring its changes with vigilance, and managing it with the care it so desperately deserves.
In doing so, we honor not just the soil but the billions of lives that depend on it, and ensure a legacy of resilience, prosperity, and abundance for generations to come.
