By Pascal Ndegwa - Reporter
Kenya, October 14 ,2026 - Kenya and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have agreed to deepen collaboration on soil health, in a move aimed at helping farmers improve harvests, reduce fertiliser waste and protect increasingly degraded farmland.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe met FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, where the two sides discussed how technology and soil data can guide precision farming in Kenya.
The talks focused on using soil intelligence to help farmers understand the condition of their land before applying fertiliser or planting. This could allow farmers to receive more accurate advice on the type and amount of inputs their farms need, reducing waste and improving productivity.
FAO reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Kenya’s soil health initiatives. The discussions also highlighted plans to strengthen the Kenya Integrated Agricultural Management Information System (KIAMIS), which has been integrated with the Kenya Agricultural Digital Information Centre (KADIC).
KIAMIS now serves as a major digital agriculture platform, hosting millions of registered farmers and supporting the delivery of farm inputs, soil health information and tailored advisory services directly to farmers’ phones. Its integration with KADIC is expected to create a stronger national data hub for agricultural planning and farmer support.
The two institutions also agreed on the need to establish a team of soil health champions to drive awareness and action among farmers. The champions are expected to help translate scientific soil information into practical advice that farmers can use on their farms.
Training more soil scientists also emerged as a priority. Kenya continues to face declining soil fertility, nutrient depletion and climate variability, challenges that have reduced agricultural productivity in many farming areas.
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FAO’s Soil Doctors Programme has already been working with farmers and extension officers in parts of Kenya to build practical skills in soil testing, diagnosis and sustainable soil management. Data generated through such initiatives is expected to feed into KIAMIS, helping inform evidence-based planning and more targeted fertiliser recommendations.
For farmers, the collaboration could mean fewer blanket recommendations and more decisions based on the actual condition of their soil. Better soil data may help farmers avoid overusing fertiliser, choose suitable crops, improve yields and protect their land from further degradation.
The engagement reinforces Kenya’s broader push towards data-driven agriculture, where digital records, soil information and farmer-level advisory services work together to build more resilient food systems.
If fully implemented, the partnership could shift soil health from a technical subject discussed in offices to a practical farming tool delivered to millions of Kenyan farmers through their phones, extension officers and local agricultural networks.