Digital soil intelligence offers lifeline to Sahel farmers under climate strain
Kelvin Mwandiki, GIS Specialist, West Africa
COP30 sharpened global focus on climate adaptation, including the growing importance of data systems in safeguarding food production in fragile regions like the Sahel.
Across Nigeria, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, farmers and pastoralist communities are contending with declining soil fertility, more erratic rainfall and rising temperatures. Agricultural yields are stagnating even as populations grow, increasing pressure on land already weakened by decades of overuse and environmental stress.
Yet while climate impacts are intensifying, the data needed to manage soils more sustainably remains scattered across government agencies, research institutes and donor projects, often stored in incompatible formats and rarely accessible to farmers or local authorities.
In much of the Sahel, fertiliser use remains based on generalised recommendations rather than field-specific conditions. Farmers are often unable to match inputs with soil needs, leading to rising costs, wasted resources and disappointing yields. At the national level, weak data makes it difficult to prioritise restoration funding or monitor progress on climate adaptation goals.
This information gap has become both an economic and political concern, with falling productivity accelerating migration pressures and deepening food insecurity in in fragile regions.
Healthy soils underpin everything from food systems to employment. When soils deteriorate, the social consequences follow quickly.”
Turning data into decisions
In response, governments and development partners are beginning to invest in digital soil intelligence, platforms that combine satellite imagery, climate models and field data to produce real-time insights on soil health and land use.
The Soil Values Geoportal illustrates how this shift is taking shape in practice. Presented at the COP30 plenary on Soil Health, Digital Tools, Climate Services, and Information Systems, it demonstrated how digital tools can shift countries from reactive measures to proactive planning. By integrating soil organic carbon, moisture deficits, erosion risk, biomass productivity and climate indicators, the Geoportal converts scientific datasets into guidance for nutrient management, climate adaptation and land restoration.
Unlike static soil maps, digital platforms refresh continuously, enabling policymakers to visualise degradation hotspots, identify restoration corridors and model future risks. Extension officers can rely on the same insights to advise farmers on crop suitability, fertiliser strategies and erosion control.
The shift hinges on robust measurement and evidence. As Giacomo Grassi of the Joint Research Centre stressed, “If we don’t measure, we cannot manage. We have to measure well to manage better.”
The digital divide
Connectivity gaps and unreliable power supplies continue to limit the reach of digital tools in rural areas. Developers are responding with mobile-based systems that function in low-bandwidth environments, allowing farmers to receive basic soil and climate guidance on simple handsets.
Pastoralist communities are also beginning to use digital mapping to monitor grazing conditions and seasonal water points. These tools gain credibility when digital insights align closely with local observations.
The Geoportal’s design, combining scientific data with local knowledge, ensures that insights flow seamlessly from national planning to farm-level decisions. Governments can identify degradation hotspots and climate-risk zones, while extension officers translate the same information into practical advice on nutrient management, erosion control and crop suitability.
The transformation is already underway. When farmers understand their soil needs, when policymakers can identify emerging degradation, and when donors can track progress spatially and over time, digital information systems begin to drive real change across the landscape.
Building systems, not pilots
Long-term impact requires embedding digital tools within national institutions rather than treating them as short-lived or stand-alone projects. Integration with agricultural ministries, land registries and climate services ensures that soil intelligence shapes real policy and investment decisions.
Partnerships are central to this approach. SNV leads development of the Soil Values Geoportal, supported by ISRIC – World Soil Information for mapping and moisture analysis, Wageningen University & Research and IITA for climate risk modelling, ICRAF for land degradation and biomass assessments, IFDC for nutrient management, and IWMI for water resource mapping.
Its practical value is evident in the growing number of programmes applying its insights. Pro-Arides, the Food Systems Resilience Programme (FSRP), L-PRESS and ACReSAL are among the initiatives now using the Soil Values Geoportal to guide investments in land restoration, climate adaptation and sustainable agricultural planning across the Sahel.
The platform is already informing fertiliser strategies, guiding restoration efforts and strengthening climate-risk analysis across parts of the Sahel. These collaborations are improving data quality, system design and governance, increasing the likelihood that the Geoportal will remain useful to governments, farmers and development partners long after the project cycle ends.
Still, soil intelligence must connect all the way to the farmer. As Elisabeth Nsimdala, President of the East Africa Farmers Federation, emphasised, “You cannot speak about soil health without speaking about farmers.”
Soils and stability
World Soil Day this year is marked under the theme Healthy Soils for Healthy Futures—a message of particular urgency in the Sahel. Without better soil intelligence, restoration targets will remain out of reach. With strong systems in place, countries can move beyond crisis response toward long-term land stewardship.
Leigh Winowiecki of CIFOR-ICRAF and CA4SH framed the challenge clearly: the world already has the data, maps and knowledge needed to act. The task now is to bring this evidence into policy, expand access and use, and co-design practical applications that translate data into action.
Soils shape livelihoods, markets and migration. In the Sahel, getting soil management right is fast becoming a cornerstone of stability and a foundation for a healthier, more resilient future.
Learn about our work to improve soil health.
Kelvin Mwandiki
Kelvin Mwandiki is a Geospatial and Digital Innovation Specialist with over six years of professional experience in GIS, remote sensing, and digital solution development. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Geospatial Engineering and serves as the GIS Specialist for the Soil Values programme at SNV. In this role, he leads the development of digital tools, coordinates the Geoportal initiative, and drives strong partnerships by bringing together knowledge partners and stakeholders across four countries to co-create geospatial solutions that reflect the realities and priorities of local communities. Previously, Kelvin worked as a GIS Consultant at SNV Kenya, where he supported projects such as LISTEN, CRAFT, and EDE-CPIRA. Notably, through participatory GIS approaches in the LISTEN project, he contributed to the restoration of 27,000 hectares of degraded land by integrating community knowledge with spatial analysis. His earlier roles include serving as a GIS Analyst at Kenya Power and Lighting Company and the Ministry of Environment, Rural and Urban Planning, where he gained experience in spatial data management, utility mapping, environmental planning, and geospatial system support.