Post a comment A three-day workshop to develop a National Soil Information Roadmap concluded Wednesday at the Atlantic Hotel, uniting national and international experts in a bid to boost agricultural productivity through improved soil data.
The workshop, held from October 13-15, 2025, was organized by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in collaboration with the Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute (SLARI), the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS), and the International Soil Reference and Information Centre (ISRIC).
Officials stated the primary goal is to create a comprehensive roadmap to guide sustainable land use and enhance farm yields. The initiative is a key component of the government’s Feed Salone Initiative, which aims to transform the nation’s agriculture sector.
In his remarks, Dr. Abdul Rahman Conteh, Acting Director General of SLARI, described the planned roadmap as “a strategic tool for harmonizing soil information.” He emphasized that coordinated data management will strengthen research and help farmers make better decisions.
The technical sessions, led by experts from ISRIC in the Netherlands, focused on digital soil mapping and the creation of a National Soil Information System (NaSIS). This system is intended to be a centralized repository for soil data to inform agricultural planning and investment.
Dr. Kepifri Lakoh, Program Manager of the Food System Resilience Program, linked the effort directly to national food security. “Through this roadmap, we are building the evidence base that will enable farmers, researchers, and policymakers to work together more effectively,” he said, noting it will guide decisions on crop suitability and soil fertility.
Dr. Alfred O. Dixon, IITA’s Country Representative, called the workshop a “major milestone in Sierra Leone’s journey toward evidence-based agricultural transformation.”
Participants agreed on next steps, including finalizing the roadmap document and establishing a platform to coordinate national soil data. Once complete, the roadmap is expected to ensure that agricultural interventions under Feed Salone are grounded in scientific evidence about the nation’s soils.
