A collaborative Soil Values meeting helped partners coordinate efforts to improve soil health and strengthen farming systems across West Africa.
In Lomé, Togo, regional and international partners came together under the Soil Values program to shape a unified vision for soil health transformation in West Africa. Spanning watershed management, inclusive markets, and enabling environments, the program convened key players such as IFDC, Wageningen University & Research, SNV, CIFOR-ICRAF, IITA, IWMI, and AGRA to align on shared priorities and co-develop the 2025 implementation roadmap. Additionally, the World Bank with its regional resilience progra FSRP, the Regional Hub for fertilizer and Soil Health for ECOWAS and Sahel, the private sector like WAFA, also participated for synergies identification and implementation.
The gathering focused on aligning strategies and resources to better support smallholder farmers across the region. Through open dialogue and practical planning, partners worked together to identify shared goals, close coordination gaps, and explore how joint actions could be scaled at both national and regional levels.
The session on the “Convening Component”, explored how evidence can help shape more effective collaboration. Dr. Asseta Diallo, Senior Specialist – Soil Health and Integrated Management at AGRA, emphasized the importance of data and partnership in moving from dialogue to results:
“When evidence meets collaboration, it becomes action. That is what we are here to build—a shared agenda rooted in science, guided by local voices, and owned by every partner in the room.”
Discussions focused on practical steps, such as co-organizing national soil health days, sharing data for improved planning, and connecting soil indicators to continental monitoring frameworks. AGRA shared technical guidance to help structure these convenings, ensuring they are grounded in evidence and inclusive of national and regional priorities.
Beyond practical Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM), the Soil Values program shows the advantage of leveraging and synergizing efforts for a common purpose. Each partner brings unique capabilities, from research to community engagement to policy support. Together, they are laying the groundwork for healthier soils, improved and nutritious harvests, and more resilient livelihoods.
This kind of collaboration is essential to achieving impact at scale. By aligning investments, sharing knowledge, and supporting government efforts, the Soil Values partners are helping to transform food systems from the ground up—starting with the soil.