Africa's fertilizer transition

Africa stands at an inflection point in its relationship with food security. For decades, much of the continent has depended on fossil-fuel-based nitrogen fertilizers manufactured thousands of miles away, transported through fragile supply chains, priced in foreign currency, and often used in ways that contribute to declining soil health. That dependence carries costs for farmers, national foreign exchange reserves, food security, and the resilience of agricultural systems. At the same time, a convergence of technologies is creating new possibilities for locally produced, climate-positive fertilizers. Biochar, frass, green nitrogen, and organic fertilizers could enable more of the inputs African farmers need to be produced from African feedstocks, at cost structures better suited to local markets, while supporting healthier soils and reducing exposure to global supply shocks. But making that transition requires much more than proving that the technologies work. Producers need capital and viable markets. Farmers need products they can trust and afford. Governments need policies that enable new approaches while protecting quality. Researchers need to build the evidence base. And farmer-facing organizations need to translate new products into practices that work in different soils, crops, and communities. This session will bring those actors into the same conversation to explore what it would take to catalyze an African fertilizer transition across the value chain. Where are the biggest barriers to adoption and scale? What needs to be financed, proven, or changed in policy? And how can a shift toward local production strengthen food security while delivering meaningful benefits for farmers and soils? The discussion will be grounded in the experience of people doing the work: producing fertilizer, investing in businesses, creating and implementing policy, conducting research, and working directly with farmers. What to expect A practical, cross-sector conversation bringing together African perspectives from fertilizer production, finance, policy, research, and farmer engagement. Speakers will share what they are learning on the ground before opening the discussion to the wider room. Rather than treating fertilizer as a purely technological challenge, the session will examine the whole system required to move new approaches from promising products to accessible, trusted inputs for farmers at scale. Who this is for This session is for agricultural and climate funders, investors, policymakers, researchers, fertilizer producers, farmer-facing organizations, food systems practitioners, and others interested in strengthening African food security, soil health, and agricultural resilience. What you will get out of it A clearer picture of the opportunity for locally produced, climate-positive fertilizers across Africa Perspectives on technologies including biochar, frass, green nitrogen, and organic fertilizer Practical insights into the financing, policy, evidence, and farmer adoption challenges that stand between innovation and scale A systems view of how producers, investors, governments, researchers, and farmer-facing organizations can work together Connections with African practitioners actively building and financing the fertilizer transition Featuring Africa Climate Ventures Africa Fertilizer Transition Initiative One Acre Fund Regen Organics Hosted by Africa Fertilizer Transition Initiative