Assessing the impact of nature-based solutions on soil health in sub-Saharan Africa through farmer-centred methods
Dominik Bittner, Joanne U Smith, Georgios Leontidis, Grant Campbell, Jeanne Biegel, Pete Smith, Matthias Kuhnert, Rastislav Skalský, Licida M. Maria Giuliani, Abdul Walid Walid Salik, Paul Hallett, D Burslem, Getahun Yakob, Wolde Mekuria, Euan Phimister, Amare Haileslassie, Desalegn Tegegne, sarem norouzi, Heyu Chen, Cecile Gubry-Rangin, Adnan Khan
Environmental Research Letters
Urban Farm DB summary
A narrative review examines tools for assessing soil health and Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for soil quality in sub-Saharan Africa, drawing primarily on examples from Ethiopia but intended for farmers and advisors across the region and other developing countries. It reviews physical, biological, chemical, functional, and service-related soil tests, noting that science-based tests require expertise, equipment, and cost, while locally-derived tests are affordable and readily applicable. NbS practices are assessed against labor, cost, and crop-production factors, and the review concludes there is no single universally applicable practice — suitability depends on farmers' priorities and circumstances. It also examines predictive methods, including mechanistic soil models, AI, and hybrid approaches combining data, physics, and knowledge such as digital soil mapping.