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Kenya’s Soil Future: Public and Private Sectors Unite at Data for Soil Health and Scale Summit

Author

Gerald Kombo
June 03, 2025

(From left to right: Eng. Laban K. Kiplagat, Agricultural Engineering Secretary, State Department for Agriculture, Kenya, and Esther van de Vort, Director, Thrive Innovation CoLab by Yara International, during the Data for Soil Health and Scale Summit press briefing in Nairobi.)

At the heart of Kenya’s agricultural future lies its soil—its condition, fertility, and accessibility of data to guide better decisions. That was the central theme of the Data for Soil Health and Scale Summit hosted in Nairobi, where key actors from government, private industry, and global innovation networks came together to chart a collaborative path for strengthening soil health through data-driven solutions.

Unlocking Soil Intelligence: The Kenya Soil Information System (KeSIS)

Eng. Laban K. Kiplagat, Agricultural Engineering Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, shared an in-depth briefing on the development of the Kenya Soil Information System (KeSIS)—a national digital platform designed to address the long-standing problem of fragmented, inaccessible, and uncoordinated soil data across the country.

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The main gap KeSIS seeks to address is access to soil information. Scattered data exists, but it’s often not available in usable formats for farmers, researchers, or policymakers.
— Eng. Laban Kiplagat, Agricultural Engineering Secretary, State Department for Agriculture, Kenya

The Ministry, with support from the Global Soil Alliance (GSA), is currently finalizing a bill and policy framework to institutionalize KeSIS. The next phase is county consultations—part of Kenya’s constitutional process—before moving to national validation.

The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) will host the platform, which will be collaboratively managed by the Ministry and KALRO to ensure both technical credibility and inclusive access.

KeSIS aims to integrate:

  • County-level soil testing data

  • Privately generated datasets

  • Global open-access soil data

This will make the platform an authoritative, single point of truth that supports farmer advisory services, research, and policy planning.

Private Sector Commitment: Yara’s Thrive Innovation CoLab Steps In

Representing the private sector was Esther van de Vort, Director of Thrive Innovation CoLab, an accelerator initiative powered by Yara International. She brought bold energy to the summit, cutting through “beautiful visions” with a call for concrete action.

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The private sector has had skin in the game for decades. We have donated our soil data to the challenge because we recognize that fragmented data is holding back progress.
— Esther van de Vort, Director, Thrive Innovation CoLab by Yara International

Thrive’s contributions include:

  • Donating proprietary soil datasets from Yara’s internal research vaults

  • Facilitating a digital platform where this data is aggregated for innovators

  • Launching a 12-week accelerator program for the top innovators emerging from the Soil Data Track

Through this accelerator, selected Kenyan soil data innovators will receive:

  • Mentorship from Yara’s global agronomic experts

  • Access to Yara’s on-ground farmer network

  • Support in scaling beyond Kenya to potentially 22 international markets, starting with Singapore

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We’re looking at how Kenyan innovations can serve not just Kenya but the world. This is about making Kenya a lighthouse for soil intelligence in Africa.
— Esther van de Vort, Director, Thrive Innovation CoLab by Yara International

Bridging Vision and Implementation

The Summit made it clear that real transformation lies in collaboration: the Kenyan government developing policy infrastructure, counties feeding grassroots data, and private players like Yara accelerating solution pathways.

KeSIS is not yet live, but the foundation is being built with intentionality:

  • Consultant-developed frameworks are under review by stakeholders

  • County-level engagements are being planned

  • Integration of private and public data is central to the architecture

The long-term vision? A living national soil database where any farmer, policymaker, or researcher can access up-to-date, reliable, location-specific soil data—empowering decisions that improve yields, preserve ecosystems, and guide sustainable land use.

Looking Ahead

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Part of my mandate is to ensure that we make policies that promote the sustainable use of agricultural resources, including soil. With platforms like KeSIS, we are building the digital backbone for that future.
— Eng. Laban Kiplagat, Agricultural Engineering Secretary, State Department for Agriculture, Kenya

H.E. Mutahi Kahiga, Governor of Nyeri County, shares his county’s soil health priorities and the role of devolved units in scaling data-driven agriculture during the Data for Soil Health and Scale Summit press briefing held in Nairobi.

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Let me take you back to one of the greatest daughters of this soil, Prof. Wangari Maathai. She once told the story of the hummingbird. When the forest was on fire and all the animals were watching in despair, it was the little hummingbird that decided to fly back and forth, dropping small bits of water on the flames. The other animals laughed at her and said, ‘What do you think you're doing?’ And she answered, ‘I'm doing the best I can.’

That is the spirit we need today when it comes to soil health. We cannot wait for the big miracles or for someone else to do it. Each of us must do what we can. As Nyeri County, we have embraced that spirit. We are already leveraging our data to support farmers to make the right decisions about soil nutrients and land management.

Soil is not just dirt. Soil is life. And if we take care of it, it will take care of us. That is the message we are sharing with our communities, and that is what we hope this summit will inspire all counties to do—act, however small the step, and keep building from there.

— H.E. Mutahi Kahiga, Governor, Nyeri County

Reporting from Nairobi, Kenya – June 4, 2025