This consortium of researchers in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and the UK is working on strengthening African capacity in soil geochemistry to inform agricultural and health policies.
The investment from the Royal Society-DFID has been transformational for our consortium. Belinda, Grace and Ivy [PhD students in consortium] are delivering high quality outputs and have the potential to become influential scientists in their future careers. Our consortium has built on this investment and secured significant further funding for wider R&D, PhD training and research capacity strengthening in the region.
Understanding soil geochemistry is essential for supporting policies in agriculture, such as advice on liming and nutrient management, and public health, such as identifying regions at risk of micro-nutrient deficiencies and toxicities. At present, the capture and integration of soil geochemical data across multiple scales has not been achieved in sub-Saharan Africa due to gaps in research capacity.
The aim of this project is to strengthen research capacity in soil geochemistry in sub-Saharan Africa.
To understand more about the research carried out in this consortium, read about the work of the PhD students supported through the RS-DFID ACBI:
Researchers, including PhD students, from all consortium partners contributed to a case study for UN World Food Day 2019.