With the aim of “creating the most detailed soil map of any country in the world” Ethiopia has launched its Soil Health and Fertility Ethiopian Soil Information System or EthioSIS which is based on the Africa Soil Information Service.

More than 100,000 soil samples will be collected from 97 sites throughout the country and analyzed by federal and regional labs, enabling soil maps to be developed using techniques such as soil infrared spectrometry and remote sensing. The World Agroforestry Centre will provide advice on soil sampling, processing and analysis procedures, and the establishment of soil laboratories.

The information gained through the system will help to inform policies, interventions and recommendations across Ethiopia.

Methods developed at the World Agroforestry Centre for soil health monitoring will also be used in the World Bank’s Living Standards Measurement Study – Integrated Surveys on Agriculture. In this study, soil samples will be directly linked to household surveys in order to understand smallholder crop productivity and how farmers cope with deteriorating soil conditions.

In another project - the Africa Monitoring System - launched in March 2012, the World Agroforestry Centre will help design soil health surveillance systems aimed at holistically monitoring agricultural productivity, ecosystem health and human health. Using near-real-time and multi-scale data, an open-access online dashboard will be created and made available to policy makers to assist in decision making.

Read the full story: Ethiopia establishes a soil information service based on CGIAR-developed methods