Farmers in Africa say their soil is dying and chemical fertilizers are in part to blame

Declining soil quality in Africa due to acidifying fertilizers threatens food security, prompting a call for traditional farming practices.

When Benson Wanjala started farming in his western Kenya village two and a half decades ago, his 10-acre farm could produce a bountiful harvest of 200 bags of maize. That has dwindled to 30. He says his once fertile soil has become a nearly lifeless field that no longer earns him a living.

Like many other farmers, he blames acidifying fertilizers pushed in Kenya and other African countries in recent years. He said he started using the fertilisers to boost his yield and it worked—until it didn’t. Kenya’s government first introduced a fertilizer subsidy in 2008, making chemical fertilizers more accessible for smaller-scale farmers.

About 63% of arable land in Kenya is now acidic, according to the agriculture ministry, which has been recording a decline in production of staples such as maize and leading exports of horticulture and tea. The production of maize declined by 4% to 44 million tons in 2022, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization, which didn’t say why.

Problems with soil health are growing as the Africa struggles to feed itself. Africa has 65% of the world’s remaining uncultivated arable land but has spent about $60 billion annually to import food, according to the African Development Bank. The spending is estimated to jump to $110 billion by 2025 due to increased demand and changing consumption habits.

In May, Kenya hosted an Africa-wide soil health summit to discuss declining production, climate change and other issues that have increased food security concerns. Agriculture is a key part of the economy in Kenya, making up more than a quarter of the GDP.

At the summit, Stephen Muchiri, executive director of the Eastern Africa Farmers Federation, advocated for a return to traditional farming practices to replenish lifeless soils, including planting a variety of crops and doing as little as possible to disturb the land.

“Inorganic fertilizers were never meant to be the foundation of crop production,” he said, later adding that because of “commercially inclined farming, our soils are now poor, acidic, and low in biomass resources, and without life!”