South Africa is working to improve its soil health, and Florida International University (FIU) is playing a role in this effort. Over the summer, FIU’s agroecology program led a series of soil health workshops at several South African universities, including the University of Venda, the University of Limpopo, the University of Johannesburg, and the University of Pretoria.
The workshops were led by Professors Maruthi Sridhar Balaji Bhaskar and Krishnaswamy Jayachandran. They brought together about 100 students and faculty members to discuss soil degradation, its impacts, and ways to manage soil sustainably.
This initiative was funded by a USDA Scientific Cooperation Research Program grant called Training and Education for Agricultural Management (TEAM) to Promote Soil Health and Crop Productivity in South Africa. The project began after Jude Odhiambo, a professor at the University of Venda, visited FIU as a Fulbright Scholar in Jayachandran’s lab in 2023.
Jayachandran said that the grant supports sustainable agriculture, food security, and climate resilience during a time when soil degradation is getting worse in sub-Saharan Africa. The workshops focused on practices such as nutrient cycling, better water retention, and less use of synthetic fertilizers. Students and faculty received hands-on training with over $10,000 worth of new equipment for measuring plant chlorophyll levels, soil moisture, electrical conductivity, pH levels, texture analysis, and GPS data collection.
“Students are using this equipment for graduate research, and faculty are incorporating it into course modules,” Bhaskar said. “Faculty and students are also extending this knowledge to local communities and farmers, fostering long-term improvements in soil health and sustainable agriculture.”
The workshops were designed to support South Africa’s goal of achieving land degradation neutrality by 2030. Activities included fieldwork, laboratory exercises, and discussions with experts from both FIU and South African universities. Participants learned practical skills for assessing and improving soil health using adaptive strategies based on data.
The program aims to strengthen agricultural resilience in South Africa by giving future scientists and farmers tools for sustainable land management. It also seeks to contribute to global food security by helping communities increase productivity while managing resources more effectively.
Collaboration between FIU and South African institutions will continue through follow-up activities such as research exchanges. During the workshops themselves, students from both countries shared their research findings with each other.
In addition to their work in Africa, FIU agroecology students recently traveled to Colombia with support from another USDA grant. There they visited organizations like the Alliance of Biodiversity International as well as national coffee (CENICAFE) and sugarcane (CENICANA) research centers. The trip gave them experience with digital technologies aimed at making farming more efficient and sustainable.
