By Aoma Keziah,
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development in collaboration with the World Bank, hosted a two day Data for Soil Health and Scale Summit in Nairobi, an event that brought together over 400 participants, including innovators, policymakers, researchers, funders, and soil health champions from across Eastern and Southern Africa under the banner of scaling data-driven solutions to combat one of the region’s most pressing agricultural challenges, soil degradation.
Turning Data into Action for Africa’s Soils, Kenya is at a crossroads with 65% of its soils degraded, farmers losing billions annually in yields due to rising acidity, nutrient depletion, and unsustainable practices. The summit provided a platform to tackle this crisis by unlocking AI-powered diagnostics, mobile advisories, decentralized testing tools, and bio-based nutrient innovations.
“Soil testing turned my farm’s fortunes from night to day. I was farming blind, wasting resources on the wrong fertilizers, a mistake too many Kenyan farmers make. We must empower our smallholders with the data and tools to unlock their land’s potential,” said Mutahi Kagwe Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Kenya.
On his part, Dr. Paul Ronoh, Principal Secretary, State Department for Agriculture, said that Kenya’s soil degradation crisis is not just an agronomic issue, it’s a matter of economic stability and food security.
“By investing in soil data systems and innovative technologies, we can equip farmers with the tools they need to boost productivity and sustainability,” he explained.
The event builds on the Nairobi Declaration on Soil Health, signed during the 2024 Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit, which aligns with Kenya’s Fertilizer and Soil Health implementation Plan (KFSH) and the development of a national Kenya Soil Information System (KenSIS).
“By uniting data, innovation, and purpose, we can restore our soils and secure livelihoods for millions. Let’s keep this momentum going to ensure healthier soils for future generations,” remarked Mr. Collin Marangu, Agriculture Secretary, State Department for Agriculture,
Anne M. Bakilana, World Bank Manager of Operations for Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Somalia, highlighted the power of data in agricultural transformation.
“We must leverage the private sector to unlock sustainable growth and improve soil fertility management. Data is the key to building smarter, more resilient food systems,” she noted.
Governor of Nyeri County and Vice Chair of the Council of Governors Mutahi Kahiga, emphasized the role of counties in driving farmer-centered innovation.
“Counties are not spectators, we are active players in the soil agenda. The farmer must benefit. Better income, Better yields, better resilience, that is the goal,” he stated.
At the heart of the event were the pitch sessions of the Data4SoilHealth and Soil Health Innovation Challenges. Over 24 finalists showcased groundbreaking tools including AI Diagnostics, soil carbon MRV platforms, mobile-based advisories, and fertilizer supply chain optimization models. These solutions aim to transform fragmented soil data into actionable insights, empowering farmers to improve productivity and resilience.
Winners received technical acceleration support from the World Bank, the British High Commission and partners to bring their solutions to scale. Overall Winner Data4SoilHealth Challenge was Ycenter Shambah Solutions (Kenya), an AI-powered, mobile-based soil testing kit offering rapid, affordable diagnostics to farmers in under 15 minutes.
Runners-Up (Data4SoilHealth Category) were Antugrow (Kenya), an AI platform integrating field data, sensors, and satellite imagery for soil health mapping, Varaha Climate Ag (India) ,SOC monitoring through AI and remote sensing, AgWise DST (Italy) , Digital decision-support for site-specific nutrient management and Earth Guard (Kenya) , Integrated system using AI and GIS for carbon sequestration and soil restoration.
In the Academia Category Awards were, AgriChain Kenya, GIS + AI platform with blockchain supply chain transparency, Kiduka Research Hub, Hyperlocal agroecological data for nutrient recommendations, Kibabii University, SoilSense AI for predictive soil degradation modeling and University of Amsterdam, Optimized fertilizer distribution using advanced linear Programming.
The Winner Innovation Challenge was Umuntu Agrobiotics (Uganda) “Bio-blend” microbial solution boosting yields by 40% while cutting production costs by 42%. Runners-Up, Rhea Soil Health Management (Kenya) Real-time AI soil testing for smallholders, Mechro Limited (Malawi) Chameleon Tools for water and nutrient management using Color indicators.
Thryve Award for Soil Testing went to CropNuts (Kenya), Accredited lab-based diagnostics integrated with the OneSoil Platform and Ujuzi Kilimo (Kenya) SMS-based results via mobile sensors measuring pH, nutrients and EC.
The Summit was supported by a coalition of partners including CGIAR, GIZ, SoilHive, Thryve Innovation CoLab, IFDC, Microsoft, AGRA, and KALRO, with contributions from numerous ecosystems actors. Public-private partnerships were a recurring theme, with discussions centered on how to better connect data platforms, digital infrastructure, and investment to serve farmers directly.
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