The Youth Resolution On Fertilizer and Soil Health | Enhancing Youth Engagement For Sustainable Fertilizer And Soil Health Management in Africa
By The Youth Cafe
Preamble;
Youth delegates drawn from The Youth Cafe, attended a 3-Summit with the support of Presidential Economic Transformation Secretariat and AGRA, dubbed the ‘Africa Fertilizer and Soil Summit’ convened by The African Union. The symposium, whose purpose was to bring together all relevant stakeholders to highlight the crucial role of fertilizer and soil health in stimulating sustainable pro-poor productivity growth in African agriculture and to agree on an African Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan, as well as the Soil Initiative for Africa Framework.
Due to decades of continuous soil nutrient mining and the age of the soils, Africa’s soils, which are among the oldest, globally, have become the poorest in the world. It is estimated that the The continent loses over US$4 billion worth of soil nutrients each year, severely risking Africa’s ability to feed itself. Yet, a broad base of African farmers neither have access to fertilizers nor can they afford inputs needed to add life to their soils to reverse the downward spiral of the degradation of the physical environment.
Acknowledging the challenges on agriculture production in Africa with statistics showing 65% of Africa’s soil is degraded thereby increasing soil erosion and affecting food production. This is worrying as the UN food and Agriculture Organization shows that 83% of Sub Saharan Africa rely on the land for their livelihoods. These challenges call for urgent measures that should involve the youth who are estimated to constitute 70% of the Sub Sahara by 2030. Acknowledging the challenges faced by smallholder farmers in accessing affordable and appropriate fertilizers,
Recognizing the significance of the Malabo, Abuja and Nairobi declarations in promoting agricultural development through fertilizer accessibility and soil health management.
Noting the efforts of the African Union Commission through the African Agribusiness Youth Strategy (AAYS) that works to empower youth agripreneurs that operates on three pillars; building systems for implementation, transformation markets and strengthening value chains.
Acknowledging African Union Commission efforts in including young women and men from different backgrounds, promoting innovation in technical, technological, organizational, social and in marketing and managing resources through building sustainable food systems and a green economy.
Applauding different initiatives from stakeholders and policymakers such as the African Union, the World Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the International Food Policy Research Institute to highlight the importance of including the youth in fertilizer accessibility strategies and ways of improving soil health. Their work in enhancing food security in the continent by promoting soil health and advocating for affordable and accessible fertilizer.
Noting the importance of soil health management as a way of enhancing a sustainable food production process for the continent. Supporting the various ways of minimizing the effects of soil erosion. Through crop diversification, crop rotation, mulching, agroforestry and many other ways of managing soil health, we recognize the efforts that are in place by different organizations. Recognizing the vital role of soil health in achieving food security, environmental sustainability, and poverty eradication in Africa,
Acknowledging the urgency to address the challenges posed by soil degradation, erosion, and nutrient depletion. Emphasizing the need to engage and empower youth in sustainable soil management practices,
Hereby;
On Capacity Building and Education:
Encourage the integration of comprehensive soil health education and training programs in school curricula at all levels.
Promote vocational training and apprenticeship programs on sustainable soil management for youth interested in agriculture.
Promotion of investments in irrigation as part of integrated soil and water resource management.
Strengthening of national, regional and international collaborative research and extension systems to tackle soil health challenges and improve support to smallholder farmers.
Capacitating the African Centre for Fertilizer Development and promoting African solidarity through knowledge sharing, training, development and transfer programs for best practices in soil fertility and soil health.
Provide comprehensive training for young agripreneurs that includes business management, access to markets and the use of modern agricultural technologies.
Incorporate training on innovative agricultural techniques such as agroforestry and climate-smart agriculture
Educating, training and awareness creation for youth in agriculture on existing and emerging innovative crop nutrition solutions and technologies
Demonstrate and inform policies on the effects of different shocks on fertilizer distribution and use in the country
On Research and Innovation:
Increase investment in research and development of innovative soil conservation techniques and technologies.
Support youth-led research initiatives on soil health, fertilizer optimization, and climate-smart agricultural practices.
Strengthen research and extension systems at the national, regional and international levels to tackle soil health challenges and improve support to smallholder farmers.
Strengthen research and development on the utilization of inorganic and organic fertilizers including resuscitating the African Centre for Fertilizer Development in Harare.
Development of context-specific fertilizer and soil health advisory recommendations leveraging the potential of data and following principles of 4R Nutrient Stewardship and Integrated Soil Fertility Management.
Develop digital platforms that facilitate knowledge sharing and dissemination of best practices among young farmers.
Foster cross-disciplinary research collaborations between universities, research institutions and the private sector.
Research and innovate sustainable farming practices that integrate traditional knowledge with modern techniques such as Integrated Pest Management that can enhance productivity while preserving the environment.
On Youth-Led Initiatives:
Foster partnerships and provide financial support for youth-led initiatives in soil conservation and sustainable fertilizer use.
Establish platforms for knowledge sharing and networking among youth organizations working on soil health across Africa.
Encourage and support youth-led community-based agricultural projects.
Organize agricultural fairs and exhibitions led by youth, showcasing their innovations, products and services.
Launch initiatives focused on agroecology and environmental conservation led by young people.
Establish cooperatives managed and operated by young farmers.
On Policy and Advocacy:
Advocate for the inclusion of youth perspectives in policy-making processes related to soil health and agriculture.
Collaborate with government agencies and stakeholders to develop and implement policies that promote sustainable soil management practices.
Campaign for reforms in agricultural policies to make them more inclusive and supportive of young agripreneurs.
Establish and support youth led advocacy groups that focus on agricultural issues.
Provide training and resources for young people to build their capacity in policy advocacy.
Launch awareness campaigns to highlight the importance of youth involvement in agriculture and the need for supportive policies.
Contribute to the progressive implementation of the soil health policy.
Lobbying for policies that enable business investments in youth led to innovations in agriculture.
On Financing and Resources:
Mobilize financial resources to support youth-led projects and initiatives in soil health.
Encourage public-private partnerships to provide affordable access to soil testing, fertilizers, and other inputs for smallholder farmers.
Develop microfinance programs tailored to the needs of young farmers.
Create agricultural credit facilities that provide the youth with access to flexible credit options.
Promote the establishment of investment funds focused on youth-led agricultural enterprises.
Implement subsidy programs for agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, seeds and equipment specifically targeted at young farmers to reduce their production costs and increase profitability.
De-risking farmer investments in yield- enhancing technologies and soil health of current and targeted food security crops
Financing infrastructure and logistics to improve availability of fertilizers , access to food markets for young farmers .
The national government to support counties to develop land leasing arrangements and provide necessary legal documents to facilitate access to land for the youth.
Countries run promotional programmes to make agriculture attractive to youth.
On Communication and Visibility
Cross-sector information dissemination on sustainable soil and crop nutrition management practices to young farmers
Promote uniform key messaging across private, public and research sectors
Call to Action
We request;
On Access and Affordability:
Advocate for policies that ensure the availability of affordable and high-quality fertilizers for smallholder farmers.
Encourage the establishment of fertilizer subsidy programs specifically targeting youth-led agricultural initiatives.
Relaxation of stringent rules and removal of sharp practices to ensure the youth can access high quality fertilizers
On Training and Knowledge Transfer:
Promote training programs that educate youth about proper fertilizer application techniques and soil testing.
Combine two of the most powerful communication tools in Africa- radio and mobile phones- to help African broadcasters share knowledge with, learn from and amplify the voices of small scale farmers and other rural citizens.
Facilitate knowledge-sharing platforms to exchange best practices and experiences in fertilizer use among young farmers.
On Research and Innovation:
Support youth-led research projects focused on developing sustainable and context-specific fertilizer solutions.
Foster collaboration between youth, research institutions, and fertilizer companies to encourage innovation in fertilizer production and application.
On Environmental Sustainability:
Promote the use of environmentally friendly and climate-smart fertilizers to minimize negative impacts on ecosystems.
Advocate for the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices that integrate organic and mineral fertilizers to improve soil health.
Develop a systematic soil health monitoring system aligned with existing CAADP M&E systems to track progress, including developing continent-wide metrics for measuring soil health.
Develop a post-summit implementation roadmap for the fertilizer and soil health action plan and report to the specialized technical committee (STC) on agriculture, rural development, water and environment in November 2025.
On Partnerships and Financing:
Foster partnerships between youth organizations, government agencies, and private sector stakeholders to enhance access to financing for youth-led fertilizer initiatives.
Establish funding mechanisms and grants specifically aimed at supporting youth entrepreneurs in the fertilizer value chain.
Invest in reliable data/ logistics systems to provide information on markets and market access for young people.
Support member states in domesticating promising mechanisms for rewarding smallholder farmers for improved soil health practices, including carbon markets.
Develop partnerships and institutional arrangements for the implementation of the declaration and report to the Ordinary Session of the Assembly in February 2026.
Conclusion:
We, The Youth Cafe members and delegates at the African Union Summit on Fertilizer 2024, commit to actively contribute to the promotion of sustainable fertilizer use in Africa working closely with the Government of Kenya and Presidential Economic Transformation Secretariat (PETS) to support in convening and unlocking any challenges. By empowering youth and facilitating their engagement in fertilizer-related activities, we aim to together enhance agricultural productivity, food security, and environmental sustainability across the continent.
About The Youth Cafe
Established in 2014, The Youth Cafe (TYC) is Africa's largest and most diverse convening community of professionals harnessing youth-led potentials and transforming them into sustainable youth-enabled futures. It engages over 3,500 member organizations, 1,200 subject matter experts, and over 947,000 individuals aged 18 to 35 virtually from every country in Africa. We engage monthly through over 260,000 digital touchpoints. Its broad membership enables TYC to fill the role of incubator and trusted centre of excellence for best practices, tools, and standards for youth development. For over a decade, The Youth Cafe has implemented more than 45 projects from service contracts, consultancies, and accountable grants. They represent all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 22 countries in Africa
We believe investing in youth is a precondition for accelerated inclusive growth and sustainable development. Our vision is to promote youth-led strategies for achieving transformative change, social fairness, innovative solutions, and sustainable development. The Youth Cafe has had operational reach across Africa, and the Nairobi HQ has supported regional focal points in West, East and South Africa since 2014.
Our pillars centre on Youth Resilient Communities in six areas, namely: Democracy, Human Rights and governance; Education, Research & Social Services; Economic Growth; Health & well-being: Agriculture and Environmental Sustainability; Talent Development, Leadership and innovation.
Given that 70% of jobs in Africa can be found in agriculture, our agribusiness strategy focuses on the agriculture and climate change pillars. Our broad membership plan enables TYC to fill the role of incubator and trusted centre of excellence for best practices, tools, and international standards for youth development.
Guiding question: What if Young People had the opportunity and agency required to contribute to a thriving and self-determining Africa?
Motto; A Light Bulb of Youth in African Development