Soil as the Foundation for a Resilient Food Future
Healthy soils mean stronger harvests, cleaner water, and more resilient ecosystems. Programmes like ProSoil and Soil matters, Germany is showing that a fertile future can only be secured when countries work together. Soil protection knows no borders.
Soil without Borders
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), together with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), has developed programs which focus on restoring degraded soils, promoting climate-smart practices, and enabling farmers to reduce dependence on chemical fertilizers through composting, agroforestry, and sustainable land management. Germany is not only strengthening soil stewardship at home but also sharing expertise internationally, particularly in supporting African partner countries in:
- Developing and implementing national soil protection strategies;
- Training farmers and extension workers in regenerative practices such as crop rotation, mulching, and composting;
- Establishing monitoring systems to track soil fertility and land degradation;
- Supporting governments to embed soil protection into agricultural policy and planning.
Celebrating Soil
Beyond technical programs, Germany has also advanced public awareness through the “Soil of the Year” (Boden des Jahres) campaign. Since 2005, this initiative, which is coordinated by the German Soil Science Society, the German Soil Association, and the ITVA, with support from the German Environment Agency has highlighted different soil types and their ecological functions. For 2025, Rendzina soils—shallow, humus-rich soils that develop on limestone—were chosen. They are ecologically significant but fragile, making them a reminder of the need to protect vulnerable soil types. This type of national awareness campaign is mirrored in GIZ’s African work, where education and farmer outreach are crucial to shifting soil practices from degradation to regeneration. These partnerships reflect Germany’s recognition that healthy soils are a global good.