Togo pushes soil health agenda with help from regional fertilizer and soil hub
Farmers gain ground as smarter fertilizer use aims to raise yields and restore soil health.
TOGO – A new regional effort is helping farmers in Togo move from poor harvests toward more productive, healthier farms.
The Regional Hub for Fertilizer and Soil Health in West Africa and the Sahel is leading work to improve soil fertility and promote better fertilizer use across the country.
Togo’s farmers often struggle with low crop yields. Many do not know the nutrient levels in their soils or how to apply fertilizer in ways that meet their crops’ actual needs.
To address this, the Regional Hub is using data and field science to offer specific fertilizer advice based on local conditions. This advice supports climate-smart and cost-effective farming that matches the real needs of farmers.
“Farmers are the real beneficiaries of the Regional Hubs’ work,” said Abalo Adodo, Country Director of the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) in Togo.
“They will know how to promote and keep fertility of their soil, and improve their skills on soil health management, which will help them to improve their productivity without disturbing the nutrients balance or accelerating the degradation of their soil.”
Launched in 2024 as a sub-program under ECOWAS, the Regional Hub brings together groups including IITA, IFDC, OCP Africa, the African Plant Nutrition Institute (APNI), University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P), and the World Bank through the AICCRA project.
The goal is to support long-term soil health and better fertilizer use across the region.
In Togo, IFDC leads the Hub’s activities. It works closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Institut Togolais de Recherche Agronomique (ITRA) to make sure that science-backed advice reaches farmers.
The Regional Hub also helps shape new policies and supports ongoing projects by offering expert guidance and training.
Through a recent workshop, the Hub carried out a review of Togo’s Soil Information System (SIS).
The review found that soil data remains scattered and is not easily shared. The main soil database, FertiTogo, is underused. There are also limits in lab capacity at ITRA and the University of Lomé.
This same workshop explained how to use Nutrient Omission Trials (NOT), which help farmers and researchers know which nutrients are missing in their soils.
These trials reduce fertilizer waste by showing exactly what the land needs. During the event, three out of 20 soil health-related functions were launched for Togo.
“This is crucial for Togo’s agriculture transformation because it will help the country to recommend an appropriate fertilizer formula for soils and ensure that information for soil health management is readily available at any time and at low cost for farmers,” said Adodo.
Looking ahead
Adodo noted that strong support from both government and research institutions is helping the Hub make real progress.
“Having government and research institutions buying-in the intervention of the Regional Hub is key to our success. Being able to promote such collaboration is a big factor of success for the Regional Hubs activities in Togo,” he said.
The Hub is also setting up systems to store and share soil data beyond Togo. This will guide future investment and policy work.
“Access to value-added information on the fertility and soil health status for Togo is the key in ensuring that any interventions made match reality when it comes to fertility and soil health,” Adodo added.
By working with local experts and using homegrown knowledge, the Regional Hub is building a foundation that will last beyond the project itself.
This approach allows farmers to keep improving their land and output, which is vital for food security in Togo and beyond.
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