Presented by Bashir Jama (AGRA) at the CGIAR-CSI Annual Meeting 2009: Mapping Our Future. March 31 - April 4, 2009, ILRI Campus, Nairobi, Kenya

1. Opening Remarks
& Challenges
Bashir Jama, AGRA
Mapping Our Future
a CSI / AGCommons Vision & Agenda
CGIAR Consortium on Spatial Information (CSI)
Annual Meeting, ILRI, Nairobi, 31 March to 4 April 2009

2. Overview
AGRA
• Focus on agricultural development in Africa
• A new model for development engagement
The Soil Health Program
• Need / opportunity for improved location-specific data and
analysis to support that initiative
• Special role for and linkages to AfSIS
Challenge to the Geospatial Community
 What the community needs to do, how, and with whom

3. What is AGRA?
A dynamic partnership working across
Africa to help millions of small-scale
farming families lift themselves out of
poverty and hunger.

4. Mr Kofi A Annan, Chairman of AGRA

5. AGRA interventions can solve problems
along the value chain
Seeds Program
Investments for the Green
Market Access
Policy & advocacy, M&E
Soil Health
Revolution
Agricultural Extension
Water Resources
l l l l l l l l
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

6. Policies and Partnerships Program
Policies for rapid transformation of Africa’s agriculture
• Accelerate investment in
research and rural
infrastructure
• Smart subsidies for farm inputs
(‘growth enhancement credits’)
• Develop networks of
agrodealers across rural
areas
• Secure national food
supplies

7. Africa is very different from Asia: A uniquely African Green
Revolution is needed that respects diversity
The Sahelian Drylands
Area: 1.2m km2
Population: 38m
Millet & sorghum belt: 23m ha
Moist Savanna and
Humid Forest Zone
Woodland Zones
Area: 5.8m km2
Area: 4.4m km2
Population: 168m
Population: 157m
Cassava belt: 18m ha
Maize belt: 32m ha
NERICA potential: 2m ha
CA potential: 7m ha

8. To succeed in sub-Saharan Africa, AGRA
must overcome enormous challenges
Ecological diversity
Diverse soils
Many crop species
Segmented
political
landscape
Erratic rainfall
Low adoption of
improved crop
varieties Soil Classes of
Africa

9. Soil nutrient mining is killing Africa!
1995-97 2002-04
Source: IFDC

10. Key entry points:
Unhealthy soils
Untamed water

11. Netherlands
Vietnam
Fertilizer
Japan
UK
use per
China
France
ha in sub-
Brazil
USA
Saharan
India
South Africa
Africa is
Cuba
the lowest
Benin
Malawi
in the
Ethiopia
Mali
world
Burkina Faso
Nigeria
Tanzania
Mozambique
Guinea
Ghana
Uganda
600 kg/ha
100 200 300 400 500
0
Sources: FAOSTAT 2003, Norman Borlaug 2004

12. The Soil Health Program (SHP
Objective 1: Supply locally Objective 2: Adoption of appropriate
appropriate fertilizers ISFM technology packages
Objective 3: Create accommodative policy environment

13. SHP Sub-Programs
1. Fertilizer Supply Program
• Focuses on the production and distribution (i.e.
importing and wholesale) elements of the
fertilizer supply chain
2. Soil health training sub-program
• Invest in African extension workers,
technicians and scientists to facilitate the
development and extension of new and
existing ISFM technology packages

14. SHP Sub-Programs…
3. Soil health research sub-program
• Focuses on supporting the development, adaptation
and fine-tuning of ISFM technologies
4. Soil health extension sub-program
• Focuses on scaling up ISFM technological
packages to thousands of farmers

15. Quick impacts
• Identify large scale value chain
type projects in key
breadbaskets
• Support national implementation
task forces and policy hubs
• Each project targets 20,000 to
100,000 farmers along value
chain – involves the other
programs
• Each project incorporates MSc
and PhD training opportunities
15

16. Soil Map of the World, vol. 6, Africa
(FAO/UNESCO, 1977)

17. Bringing Soil Science into the 21st
Century
• Supply dynamic soil information
• Local scale: Provide support tools for farmers
and extension staff
• National scale: Advise national policy makers
on fertilizers recommendations
• Global scale: Provide information for global
databases

18. Africa Soil Information Services (AfSIS)
• Aims at increasing access to a reliable, flexible
and dynamic soil-health information service for
the ultimate benefit of the African smallholder
farm family
• Available opportunities:
– Recent advances in digital soil mapping,
– Infrared spectroscopy,
– Remote sensing,
– Statistics

19. Mapping
recommendation
domains for ISFM
technologies and
use of improved
seed

20. Mali
Mapping Nigeria
Ghana
agro-dealer Uganda
network Kenya
coverage Tanzania
Zambia
Malawi

21. Using GIS
tools to map
out grain trade
flow in eastern
and southern
Africa

22. Geospatial Community
Challenge 1
• A clear vision and strategy urgently needed
for the development and delivery of the key
geospatial products and services for the
next 5-10 years
• Vital that the community supports and
strengthens the new generation of
development mechanisms and institutions
in Africa (eg, CAADP, AGRA)

23. Geospatial Community
Challenge 2
 Strongly encourage CSI and AGCommons to
continue to build their strong partnership.
 Expand the collaboration to engage with
CAADP and AGRA initiatives.
 Train and strengthen the capacity of national
institutions in geospatial techniques.
 Urge boldness and pragmatism in your
deliberations about a new vision and turn into
action and impact fast.

24. Thank you