OPINION: Investing in soil health key to closing the yield gaps
Even without climate change, there is an enormous challenge to meet the growing demand for food with the current status of soil health in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)
Keith Shepherd
Keith D Shepherd is a Principal Soil Scientist at World Agroforestry in Nairobi, Kenya & the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems with 40 years' research experience in tropical land management
How soil scientists can do a better job of making their research useful
Scientists must remember that farmers are focused on the best return from their inputs with little risk as possible. Dominic Chavez/World Bank/Flickr Soil is a vital part of the natural environment. It supports the growth of plants, is...
Scientists use technology to shine a light on Africa’s farms
Portuguese explorers began mapping the African coastline in the 15th century in an effort to dominate the international spice trade. Those early maps, though crude, had a profound effect on Africa’s history and the wellbeing of her people....
The Soil Scientists’ Lament
It is true that the functions that soils provide and their degradation are not very visible to the public – what is happening to the soil underfoot is not as visible as say smog due to atmospheric pollution, or algal blooms caused by excess nutrients entering our water bodies.
A new tool for making big decisions without perfect information
Authors: Eike Luedeling, Lutz Göhring, Keith Shepherd Big decisions with limited information Deciding on big issues without enough information has just gotten a little bit easier. This step forward is facilitated by the release of the decisionSupport R...