Soil underpins the proper functioning of ecosystems: lessons from Côte d'Ivoire

"For a long time, the soil was seen as a simple medium into which it was easy to artificially add certain elements. A little fertiliser for agricultural production, for example. In truth, soil is more than just a reservoir of nutrients, and its overall health is what guarantees the proper functioning of a whole host of ecosystem services that are essential to human activities.
Bruno Hérault is a specialist in tropical forests at CIRAD. In May 2023 in Abidjan, he took part in the international seminar on preserving and restoring forest soils in West Africa, organised by the Côte d'Ivoire Ministry of State, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The aim of this event was to initiate a dialogue at the crossroads between science, politics and agriculture, in order to put the issue of soils back at the heart of the political agenda. The discussions resulted in a report setting out ten practical recommendations. These include speeding up the agro-ecological transition and strengthening dialogue between farmers, scientists and public decision-makers.

CIRAD and its partners in the Terri4Sol project initiated this seminar, which was funded by the French Global Environment Facility (FGEF). Many other institutions contributed to the funding and scientific construction of the seminar, including the Ministry of State, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nangui Abroguoa University in Abidjan, the École Supérieure d'Agronomie (ESA) in Yamoussoukro, and the IRD.
Terri4sol aims to promote sustainable management practices for post-forest landscapes in Côte d'Ivoire, based on the role of soils in the proper functioning of ecosystems. The project, like the seminar, is part of the "4 for 1000" initiative: soils for food security and climate, launched in 2015 at COP21. "4 for 1000" aims to bring together all the public and private organisations working to achieve recognition of the importance of soil and soil health in food security and the fight against climate change.

Accelerating the transition to sustainable farming practices

The recommendations all point to urgent changes in the agricultural sector. Soil quality, on which crucial ecosystem services such as carbon storage depend, is threatened by pollution from chemical inputs. Deforestation is accelerating land degradation in areas already heavily impacted by climate change.
Faced with these challenges, and with the aim of guaranteeing sufficient agricultural production to ensure the region's food security, a number of solutions have been put forward. On the one hand, agro-ecological practices can improve productivity while preserving biodiversity and soil health. For example, projects such as Cocoa4Future are underway in Côte d'Ivoire to co-design agroforestry systems for cocoa farms. In addition, support for small farmers and farmers' organisations would enable virtuous activities to be promoted, through certification or better access to markets.
"Bruno Hérault stresses that "there is an urgent need to establish crops that 'stay'. Historically, once the soil had been exhausted, farmers left to clear swathes of forest to replant their crops elsewhere. But land is not unlimited, and only appropriate farming practices will enable soil fertility to be managed sustainably.

Strengthening the "science-policy" dialogue

This agricultural transition will only be possible if there is a high-quality dialogue between farmers, scientists and public decision-makers, at various levels. Research has an important role to play in developing new methods for assessing soil health, both in terms of carbon storage and degradation indicators.
The debates emphasised science-policy dialogue as a collective learning process and the need to incorporate more political considerations into research.  Exploring, clarifying and taking account of political factors in scientific research is crucial", said Carolina Milhorance, a political science researcher at CIRAD and co-organiser of the seminar. This requires greater pluralism and an interdisciplinary approach to overcome the limitations imposed by overly directive or decontextualised research. Researchers must play an active role in this collaborative process, contributing to the construction of public issues and solutions".

As part of the Terri4Sol project, Ivorian academics are working to raise awareness of soil health issues among public authorities. The involvement of decision-makers will be crucial in implementing policies to combat deforestation, but also to support sustainable agricultural practices.

News taken from the CIRAD website