Planning Grant for the Africa Soil Information Service (AfSIS) Phase II

Lead PI: Marc A. Levy, Dr. Belay Ejigu Begashaw, Markus Walsh

Unit Affiliation: MDG Center West and Central Africa (inactive)

May 2013 - January 2015
Inactive
Africa ; Sub-Saharan Africa ; Ethiopia ; Ghana ; Nigeria ; Tanzania ; Kenya
Project Type: Research

DESCRIPTION: The Africa Soil Information Service (AfSIS) project is a collaboration between the Earth Institute, African scientists and institutions, and other partners to create the first digital soil map of sub-Saharan Africa. Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) is helping to build information systems for collecting, analyzing and disseminating soil information. This bridge grant continues AfSIS planning and implementation for 18 months beginning in April 2013. The goal is to expand the effective use of scientific information to ensure that Africa’s soil and landscape resources are described, understood and used effectively to help sustainably raise agricultural productivity.

OUTCOMES: Soils data and information system; website and interactive access and visualization tools; mobile platform; data management tools and scientific workflows.

SPONSOR:

Gates (Bill and Melinda) Foundation

FUNDED AMOUNT:

$4,902,236

RESEARCH TEAM:

Sonya Ahamed, Jenniver Mulvey, Kimberly Peng, Hans Bosch

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY COLLABORATORS:

Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Agriculture & Food Security Center (inactive), Columbia Global Center in East Africa

EXTERNAL COLLABORATORS:

American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), World Agro-Forestry Center, International Soil Reference and Information Center (ISRIC) World Soil Information, Governments of Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania 

WEBSITE:

http://africasoils.net/

KEYWORDS

food nutrition digital mapping sustainability poverty ecology agriculture landscape soil

THEMES

Stewardship of the planet Sustainable living