Posted on June, 5, 2025 at 12:46 am
Kenya has underscored the need to empower the smallholder farmers with the data and tools to unlock their land’s potential.
Speaking during the inaugural Data for Soil Health and Scale Summit, the Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe called for a national shift toward data-driven agriculture, stating that empowering smallholder farmers with soil information is crucial for reversing declining productivity and boosting food security.
“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 CS Kagwe.
The inaugural Data for Soil Health and Scale Summit held on June 3–4, 2025, at Nairobi’s Hyatt Regency Hotel was hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development in collaboration with the World Bank.
The two-day event convened 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
In Kenya alone, 65% of soils are degraded, costing billions in lost yields due to acidity, nutrient depletion, and poor land management 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.
On his part, the Principal Secretary, State Department for Agriculture, Dr. Paul Kipronoh Ronoh 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 said.
The summit builds on the Nairobi Declaration on Soil Health, signed during the 2024 Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit, and aligns with Kenya’s Fertilizer and Soil Health Implementation Plan (KFSH) and the development of a national Kenya Soil Information System (KenSIS).
Innovators pitch game-changing soil health solutions
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 will receive technical acceleration support from the World Bank, the British High Commission and partners to bring their solutions to scale.
A key highlight of the event was the Data4SoilHealth and Soil Health Innovation Challenges, where 24 finalists pitched cutting-edge solutions.
The overall winner, Ycenter Shambah Solutions from Kenya, showcased a mobile-based soil testing kit that delivers rapid, affordable diagnostics in under 15 minutes.
Other standout innovations included: Antugrow of Kenya an AI platform integrating field data, sensors, and satellite imagery, Varaha Climate Ag of India, which is a remote sensing-based soil carbon monitoring as well as Umuntu Agrobiotics of Uganda which is a bio-microbial blend that increases yields by 40pc while reducing costs by 42pc.
The winning teams will receive technical acceleration support from the World Bank, the British High Commission, and other partners to scale their solutions.
Academia Awards went to: AgriChain Kenya a GIS + AI platform with blockchain supply chain transparency, Kiduka Research Hub a hyperlocal agroecological data for nutrient recommendations, Kibabii University with SoilSense AI for predictive soil degradation modeling as well as University of Amsterdam that presented optimized fertilizer distribution using advanced linear programming.
Winner – Innovation ChallengeUmuntu Agrobiotics of Uganda “Bio-blend” microbial solution boosting yields by 40pc while cutting production costs by 42pc.
Runners-Up: Rhea Soil Health Management of Kenya a Real-time AI soil testing for smallholders and Mechro Limited of Malawi, a Chameleon Tools for water and nutrient management using color indicators.
Thryve Award for Soil Testing went to a 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.
Leadership voices on soil and sustainability
The World Bank Manager of Operations for Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Somalia, Anne Bakilana highlighted the power of data in agricultural transformation noting that “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.”
On his part, the 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.”
The Agriculture Secretary, State Department for Agriculture, Collin Marangu concluded the summit with a call to action: “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.”
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 ecosystem 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.
Source: KBC