On the 30th of May, 2025 the joint meeting of SADC Ministers responsible for Agriculture and Food Security, Fisheries and Aquaculture approved the establishment of a Regional Soil Health and Fertilizer Hub for the SADC region. The Hub will be hosted by the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA).
This landmark decision follows CCARDESA’s collaboration with the SADC Secretariat and a range of regional and continental partners, including FAO, AUDA-NEPAD, and others, to develop a proposal for the establishment and operationalisation of a Regional Fertilizer and Soil Health Programme. The proposed hub will serve as a platform to coordinate and implement actions under the Soil Initiative for Africa (SIA).
The Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health (AFSH) Action Plan, which underpins this initiative, seeks to address persistent challenges such as declining soil fertility and limited access to quality fertilizers that continue to impact agricultural productivity across the continent. The AFSH Action Plan was formally adopted through the Nairobi Declaration by African Heads of State and Government during the AFSH Summit held in 2024.
As part of the proposal development, CCARDESA worked closely with technical partners including the Alliance for African Partnerships (AAP), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP), Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and several others. The proposal was validated by regional stakeholders - representatives from Member States, farmers' organisations, private sector, and academia - during a consultative meeting held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 18 - 21 March 2025.
With the SADC Ministers’ approval now secured, the next step is to mobilise resources to establish the regional hub and implement the priorities outlined in the regional programme. The proposal development and consultative processes were supported by the Food Systems Resilience Programme (FSRP), a World Bank funded initiative and the EU funded CAADP-XP4 programme, which are both coordinated by CCARDESA. FSRP will also support some of the approved initial activities while resources are being mobilised for the full programme. The SADC Soil Health and Fertilizer Hub is expected to play a pivotal role in supporting Member States to improve soil health management, promote sustainable fertilizer use, and enhance agricultural productivity across the region.
In addition to the approval of the hub, the Ministers:
- Welcomed European Union support towards a regional agroecology programme to be coordinated by CCARDESA;
- Approved new members of the CCARDESA Board of Directors;
- Provided guidance on amendments to the CCARDESA Charter aimed at enhancing the Centre’s operational effectiveness.
This milestone reinforces CCARDESA’s strategic role in facilitating regional collaboration and delivering science- and evidence-based solutions for sustainable agricultural development in Southern Africa.
