About SoilFER
SoilFER - Better soil data, Better decisions, Better agrifood systems
Declining soil fertility, rising inputs costs, and limited access to reliable soil data are key barriers to resilient and sustainable agrifood systems.
In response, the Soil Mapping for Resilient Agrifood Systems (SoilFER) programme strengthens national capacities across the entire soil information and fertility value chain – from data collection and laboratory analysis to national soil maps, information systems, soil nutrients monitoring framework, and field-level advisory services, linking farms to national policy processes.
In practical terms, SoilFER supports countries in generating high-quality soil data at scale, managing it through National Soil Information Systems, and converting it into practical decision-support tools that enhance soil fertility and crop production. Designed to serve multiple users – including farmers, advisory services, technical institutions, and governments – the programme connects field-level soil and crop management with national planning.
The programme is implemented through two coordinated projects – funded respectively by the US Department of State and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Together they support seven countries: Guatemala, Ghana, Honduras, Kenya, Mozambique, Tunisia and Zambia.
Agrifood systems are operating under increasing strain. The State of Food and Agriculture 2025 (FAO, 2025) estimates that 1.7 billion people live in areas where land degradation reduces agricultural productivity, with serious implications for food security and rural livelihoods.
Across Central America and Africa, declining soil fertility, rising input costs and shifting climate patterns intensify pressure to produce more with fewer resources.
Yet effective policy responses require reliable data. In many countries, soil information systems remain fragmented or outdated, limiting governments’ ability to target fertiliser use, guide public investment and anticipate production risks – particularly in climate-vulnerable regions such as the Central America’s Dry Corridor. As a result, decisions are often made without the evidence needed to improve productivity and long-term sustainability.
Improving soil management starts with better information. High-quality soil data enable farmers, advisory services and policymakers to increase productivity, optimise fertiliser efficiency and strengthen adaptive capacity.
SoilFER addresses this structural gap. The programme strengthens national soil information systems and converts soil data into evidence-based decision-support tools, enabling smarter policies, more efficient resource use and more sustainable and resilient agrifood systems.
SoilFER contributes to the implementation of the Global Soil Partnership (GSP)’s Action Framework 2022-2030, FAO World Soil Charter, FAO’s One Health approach, and the FAO Conceptual Framework for Integrated Land and Water Resources Management.
National Soil Information Systems: SoilFER strengthens national soil governance by standardising field protocols, conducting massive soil sample campaigns, upgrading reference laboratories and establishing robust National Soil Information Systems (NSIS). These systems store, validate and serve harmonised soil datasets, maps and reporting tools, ensuring quality control, institutional ownership and long-term monitoring capacity.
Decision-Support Systems: SoilFER translates soil and crop data into practical tools for planning and advisory services. Through crop suitability analysis, constraint mapping and soil and nutrient management options, the programme supports policymakers, extension services and farmer-facing platforms with transparent, evidence-based outputs tailored to national contexts.
Sustainable Soil and Fertility Management: SoilFER links data to action. Soil information products inform advisory pathways, field validation and locally relevant soil and fertilzer management practices, closing the loop between evidence, decision-making and implementation.
SoilFER starts from the ground and ends on the ground – literally. Together, these components form a continuous soil data journey – from sampling and analysis to systems, decisions and improved management in the field.
SoilFER is a USD 36 million programme implemented under FAO’s technical facilitation. Of this, USD 30 million supports soil mapping for resilient agrifood systems, while USD 6 million contributes to the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS) initiative – promoting opportunity crops that are climate-resilient, nutrient-dense and adapted to local agroecological conditions.
FAO provides technical guidance, common standards, coordination and quality assurance across countries. National Ministries of Agriculture lead implementation. Reference national laboratories and institutions carry out soil sampling, laboratory analysis and mapping. Technical partners support data processing, geospatial modelling and system development.
The programme ensures that soil data do not remain in databases. Decision-support tools inform planners and advisory services, while extension systems – including Soil Doctors – act as a distribution mechanism, translating soil information into practical recommendations covering crop suitability, fertiliser recommendations and sustainable soil management practices for farmers, tested through field trials. In this way, evidence moves from laboratories and digital platforms back to the field.
Governance operates at three levels. Globally, FAO ensures methodological consistency and facilitates knowledge exchange. Nationally, FAO country offices' technical staff coordinate with national institutions and anchor long-term ownership. Regionally, cooperation is fostered through platforms such as Central American Integration System (SICA) and Southern African Development Community (SADC), alongside other regional bodies in areas where SoilFER operates, helping align priorities, promote peer learning and scale successful approaches across countries.
Capacity development is embedded throughout – from field campaigns to digital systems – to ensure that workflows, tools and services remain operational beyond the project cycle.
