SoilFER Programme - Soil mapping for resilient agrifood systems

Zambia

Project's full title	Soil mapping for resilient agrifood systems in Central America and sub-Saharan Africa (SoilFER)
Country	Zambia
Start date	17/05/2023
End date	16/05/2027
Status	on going
Donor	United States of America
Recipient / Target Areas	Zambia
Objective / Goal	SoilFER follows an integrated cycle that links soil governance, data generation, laboratory analysis, digital soil information systems and advisory services to support sustainable soil and fertility management and agricultural productivity. Beginning with institutional coordination and field data collection, the programme strengthens laboratory and analytical capacities, develops national soil information systems and translates data into practical tools such as soil maps, crop suitability assessments, fertilizer recommendations and implementation of sustainable soil management practice, contributing to evidence-based decision-making and more efficient use of soil and nutrient resources beyond the programme cycle.
Partners	Ministry of Agriculture (MoA); ZARI – Zambia Agricultural Research Institute; IAPRI – Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute; University of Zambia (UNZA). Regional collaboration: Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Beneficiaries	The programme benefits: National institutions responsible for agriculture, soils, land and natural resource management Soil laboratories and technical agencies involved in soil analysis and data management Extension services and advisory providers Policymakers and planners developing evidence-based agricultural and land-use policies Researchers, universities and technical experts Farmers and producer organizations benefiting from improved soil management recommendations and decision-support tools Capacity development embedded throughout the process helps ensure sustainability beyond the programme cycle.
Activities	Selected activities include: Institutional coordination established and operational arrangements agreed. Sampling design and field planning prepared for operational rollout. Laboratory and analysis readiness activities initiated. Development and enhancement of Soil Information Systems (SIS/NSIS) and digital soil services. Crop suitability and fertilizer recommendation modelling. Second season of field validation and sustainable soil and fertilizer management trials. Capacity development through training, technical guidance and digital tools.
Impact	Zambia has advanced operational progress, including reported sample collection and active field implementation. Work focuses on executing the sampling campaign with consistent metadata capture and chain-of-custody, while preparing laboratory throughput and data management steps that enable validation and use for modelling. Zambia also provides an opportunity to demonstrate the full workflow from field operations through laboratory analysis readiness and early preparation for mapping outputs. Progress highlights: Establishment of institutional coordination mechanisms and operational arrangements to support national implementation and implementation readiness. National Soil Partnership launched in March 2026 to strengthen soil governance and multi-stakeholder collaboration. Establishment and engagement of the national soil laboratory network (in the framework of GLOSOLAN) in March 2026 to strengthen laboratory coordination and analytical capacities. Finalization of sampling design and field logistics to support operational rollout and national soil data generation. Training of national teams on field protocols, digital data capture and sample handling procedures to ensure consistency and data quality. Operational coordination supported sample tracking, quality checks, and data completeness. National field sampling campaign underway with reported collections to date. Preparation and strengthening of laboratory workflows to support harmonized analytical methods, QA/QC procedures and consistent reporting formats. Completion of CRNS laboratory training to strengthen technical capacities and harmonized analytical procedures. Preparation for data management and integration into national Soil Information Systems (SIS/NSIS) to support validation and dissemination of soil datasets and map products. Development of legacy soil data repositories and consolidation of historical soil information for future system integration and national services. Preparation for crop suitability and fertilizer recommendation modelling using harmonized field and laboratory datasets. Second season of field trials validation. Promotion of farmer engagement through the Soil Doctors programme (phase 1) started in March 2026 Implementation of socio-economic assessment (ESA) activities to support targeted outreach, knowledge exchange and understanding of adoption barriers and opportunities. Capacity development through training, technical guidance and digital tools to support sustainable national soil information services.
Contact	Programme coordination: soilfer@fao.org \| FAO Representation in Zambia: FAO-ZM@fao.org Zuba Mwanza – SoilFER National Project Coordinator Lombe Chomba – Technical Specialist in Digital Soil Mapping, Soil Information and Data Gideon Musukwa – Technical Specialist in Soil Laboratories Gwen Mukumbuta – Technical Specialist in Soil Management and Fertility Mukaba Mukaba – Communications focal point Isabel Luotto/Newton Nyapwere – FAO Headquarters focal point/Alternate focal point
More on this topic	FAO in Zambia Global Soil Partnership
Related publications	Soil Mapping for Resilient Agrifood Systems (SoilFER) 06/2024 In Central America and sub-Saharan Africa, the Soil Mapping for Resilient Agrifood Systems (SoilFER) project stands out as a unique framework aimed at unearthing valuable information from soils to guide policymaking and fertilizer recommendations both at national and field scale.