Documenting Progress for Soil Knowledge Exchange
Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)
Full-time Close on 28 Apr 2026
CIFOR-ICRAF
The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and World Agroforestry (ICRAF) envision a more equitable world where trees in all landscapes, from drylands to the humid tropics, enhance the environment and well-being for all. CIFOR and ICRAF are non-profit science institutions that build and apply evidence to today’s most pressing challenges, including energy insecurity and the climate and biodiversity crises. Over a combined total of 65 years, we have built vast knowledge on forests and trees outside of forests in agricultural landscapes (agroforestry). Using a multidisciplinary approach, we seek to improve lives and to protect and restore ecosystems. Our work focuses on innovative research, partnering for impact, and engaging with stakeholders on policies and practices to benefit people and the planet. Founded in 1993 and 1978, CIFOR and ICRAF are members of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food secure future dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources.
Healthy soils are the foundation of productive agriculture, resilient food systems, and sustainable livelihoods. Despite their importance, soil degradation continues to reduce crop yields, harm ecosystems, and hinder progress toward national and global development goals. Investments in soil health can help address these challenges, yet soil health is often overlooked in policy, planning, and investment decisions. There is growing momentum on the African continent to restore degraded land and invest in soil health. The Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan and the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Plan (CAADP) offer opportunities to increase the access and use of soil health information. This assignment will document the co-design and scaling of successful soil health use cases, including the promotion of effective soil management practices, to provide replicable solutions that enhance regional impact. The sharing of success stories and best practices will inspire similar efforts across sub-Saharan Africa, contributing to long-term agricultural sustainability. These efforts will create a foundation for targeted data-driven advisory services with a particular focus on supporting smallholder farmers and pastoralists who depend on healthy soils for their livelihoods. This collaboration will align with the Nairobi and Kampala Declarations fostering a cohesive approach to soil health challenges in the region as well as the broader agenda of the African Union and the United Nations in achieving SDGs related to hunger, poverty, and climate action.
The NORAD-funded project, Establishing an Ecosystem of Data-driven Services, in partnership with Varda Foundation, aims to fill these gaps. The two main outcomes of the initiative include: 1) Enhanced access to and use of reliable soil information through an interoperable soil data infrastructure and 2) Co-design and scaling of successful soil health use cases. The initiative aims to: Develop and launch SoilHive as an open-source platform; Establish an international, robust, and scalable soil data infrastructure in Africa; Develop national soil health frameworks guiding soil management practices; and Champion soil health as a solution for addressing Africa’s triple challenge of land degradation, biodiversity loss, and food and nutrition security. The consultant will contribute to these outcomes and goals.
Objectives of the assignment include:
This consultancy will focus on documenting and advancing the co-design, application, and scaling of soil health use cases that support sustainable agriculture, resilient food systems, and improved livelihoods across sub-Saharan Africa. It will examine how soil health investments and data-driven approaches can address soil degradation, enhance crop productivity, and strengthen ecosystem resilience, while identifying barriers and opportunities for integrating soil health into policy, planning, and investment frameworks.
The assignment will align with continental initiatives such as the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan and the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Plan. It will document and generate evidence-based insights, success stories, and best practices to support replicable, scalable solutions, with a particular emphasis on strengthening targeted advisory services for smallholder farmers and pastoralist communities. Ultimately, the consultancy will contribute to the project outcomes and outputs and the broader African Union and United Nations priorities, including progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals related to food security, poverty reduction, and climate resilience.
The consultant will provide technical assistance and implementation of visual assets to support the project reporting, consolidating project progress in the form of written reports and visual assets to summarize the work.
