Linking soil health and fertility with sustainable crop production in Sub-Saharan Africa for improving food security and resilience

Agriculture and food security in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are threatened by extreme weather and widespread soil degradation, yet the value of improved soil management has not been emphasized in the region. This study examines the critical linkages between soil health management and sustainable crop production, focusing on Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) as a scalable framework for enhancing food security and climate resilience, and discusses pathways to overcome barriers to sustainable crop production in SSA. For this, we synthesize evidence on the effectiveness of ISFM practices, including cover cropping, agroforestry, conservation tillage, and integrated nutrient management, on improving soil structure, water retention, and carbon sequestration. Adoption of ISFM remains limited in SSA due to high input costs, water and labor trade-offs, seed accessibility constraints, and weak extension services. Therefore, scaling ISFM requires complementary, deliberate strategies to overcome these constraints: policy and institutional reforms that use evidence-based financial instruments; transformation of knowledge systems through pluralistic, digital-enabled extension; and gender-responsive research that co-designs context-specific innovations. By integrating these actionable strategies into farming practices and policies, SSA can achieve long-term agricultural sustainability, food security, and resilience in a changing climate.