Expert Insights on African Fertilizer Economics & Soil Degradation

A few days ago, I shared a short reflection: Maybe Africa’s yield gap isn’t a farmer problem. Maybe it’s an input system problem. I’ve now written a deeper breakdown. Part 1 unpacks the structural reality behind the numbers: 1: ~65% of productive land is degraded 2: Farmers often pay 2–6x more for fertilizer 3: Yet they use ~7x less than global averages That combination alone makes low productivity predictable. This article isn’t about blaming farmers. It’s about understanding how pricing, infrastructure, and soil degradation interact to create a cycle of low yields, low income, and rising vulnerability. If we misdiagnose the problem, we will keep designing the wrong solutions. In Part 1, I focus on the diagnosis: 1: Why degraded soils amplify climate risk 2: Why fertilizer economics trap farmers in low-input cycles 3: Why the yield gap is a system failure In Part 2, I’ll explore what it would take to reverse it, including why Africa must rethink how soil fertility is produced and distributed. If you work in climate adaptation, agrifinance, food systems, fertilizer markets, waste systems, or rural infrastructure, I’d value your perspective. Link to the full piece 👇 👇