Letter of Agreement between the African Union Soil Observatory (AUSO) Horizon Europe Project and the Soil Health Monitoring and Information Systems for Sustainable Soil Management in the Mediterranean Region (SOILS4MED) PRIMA Project
Date
2026-05
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
FARA
Abstract
This Letter of Agreement (LoA) formalizes collaboration between the African Union Soil Observatory (AUSO) Horizon Europe Project and the SOILS4MED PRIMA Project on knowledge exchange, soil health monitoring, soil information systems, sustainable land management, and capacity building. The agreement establishes a framework for cooperation between African and Mediterranean institutions working to improve soil health governance, food security, and climate resilience.
The agreement outlines areas of collaboration including joint research initiatives, exchange of scientific information, organization of conferences and training programs, strengthening National Soil Information Systems (NSIS) in Africa, policy engagement, and development of soil health indicators and monitoring methodologies.
The LoA further defines mechanisms for intellectual property management, collaborative agreements, data sharing, acknowledgment procedures, confidentiality requirements, and governance arrangements supporting long-term cooperation between the two projects. Annex I provides a detailed framework governing background intellectual property, access rights, use conditions, and acknowledgment requirements for datasets, methodologies, soil information system architectures, mapping tools, and training materials exchanged under the collaboration.
Description
This publication documents the formal Letter of Agreement between the African Union Soil Observatory (AUSO) Horizon Europe Project and the SOILS4MED PRIMA Project concerning collaboration on soil health indicators, soil information systems, sustainable soil management, and capacity strengthening activities across Africa and the Mediterranean region.
The agreement identifies shared objectives between the parties, including:
Strengthening soil health monitoring systems
Supporting sustainable land management
Enhancing food security and climate resilience
Developing scalable soil information systems
Promoting policy-relevant soil health indicators
Building institutional and technical capacity in soil science and land management
The LoA explains the strategic goals of the two collaborating initiatives:
AUSO Project Objectives;
Establishing a comprehensive African soil information system
Developing scalable soil health dashboards for Africa
Identifying regional soil health thresholds
Supporting national soil health strategies
Addressing soil data gaps across Africa
SOILS4MED Objectives;
Developing harmonized Mediterranean soil health indicators
Supporting sustainable soil and water management (SSWM)
Strengthening monitoring systems in Mediterranean countries
Facilitating science-policy engagement for soil restoration and protection
The publication outlines several collaboration mechanisms, including:
Exchange of publications and scientific information
Participation in conferences, seminars, and workshops
Joint organization of scientific meetings and training programs
Exchange visits and consultations
Joint research initiatives on soil health and sustainable land management
Stakeholder engagement and policy advocacy activities
The agreement specifically emphasizes cooperation in:
National Soil Information Systems (NSIS) strengthening
Soil health monitoring methodologies
Digital soil mapping tools
Capacity-building programs for students, government officials, and professionals
Stakeholder workshops and exchange visits
A major component of the publication is Annex I, which establishes the framework for management of intellectual property (IP) and collaborative knowledge exchange. The annex identifies several categories of shared intellectual property, including:
Continental and regional soil datasets
Soil information system architectures and standards
Digital soil mapping tools
Soil health conceptual frameworks and indicators
Field soil data and observations
Training materials and guidelines
The annex further defines:
Access rights and use conditions
Attribution and acknowledgment requirements
Confidentiality procedures
Restrictions on redistribution and commercial use
Creative Commons CC-BY open access principles where applicable
The publication also clarifies that the LoA does not establish direct funding obligations and that implementation of specific collaborative programs will depend on future agreements and available resources.
The agreement concludes by affirming the parties’ commitment to collaborative knowledge exchange, sustainable soil governance, open scientific cooperation, and strengthening evidence-based soil management systems across Africa and the Mediterranean region.
Keywords
AUSO, SOILS4MED, Soil health, Soil information systems, Sustainable land management, Soil monitoring, Capacity building, Knowledge exchange, National Soil Information Systems, NSIS, Digital soil mapping, Soil governance, Mediterranean region, Africa, Food security, Climate resilience, Intellectual property, Soil indicators
Citation
Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), & University of Sassari (UNISS). (2026). Letter of Agreement between the African Union Soil Observatory (AUSO) Horizon Europe Project and the Soil Health Monitoring and Information Systems for Sustainable Soil Management in the Mediterranean Region (SOILS4MED) PRIMA Project. AUSO & SOILS4MED Collaboration Framework.