Keynote speakers addressed the specific challenges facing Africa, particularly the limited availability of biomass to increase soil organic carbon content and improve soil health, and proposed solutions to optimize the use of SOM to improve agricultural productivity, livelihoods, and communities.

FAO and its Global Soil Partnership (GSP) joined the conference to present its two key mechanisms for engaging farmers in the enhancement of SOM and promotion of decarbonization solutions, which are the Global Soil Doctors’ Programme and the Recarbonization of Global Agricultural Soils (RECSOIL) initiative. Throughout the conference, Ms Janet Nabwami and Ms Michaela Brown, actively engaged with attendees, showcasing GSP initiatives at the FAO's GSP booth.

Ms Nabwami's keynote address “FAO’s Global Soil Partnership tools for farmers: The Global Soil Doctors Programme” highlighted practical methodologies for engaging and training farmers across diverse regions. The audience spanned researchers and agricultural professionals concerned with mechanisms to increase SOM for improving farming systems and farmer livelihoods. Following the presentation, researchers, representatives from NGOs, and academic institutions expressed interest in learning more about implementing the programme in their areas.

Ms Brown participated in a side event in which she highlighted the results of the RECSOIL initiative in its pilot projects in Mexico, Costa Rica, and Togo, demonstrating effective tools for decarbonizing agriculture through the promotion of sustainable soil management and carbon sequestration in soils. These insights sparked valuable discussions with researchers conducting similar efforts and those interested in adopting RECSOIL tools.

The symposium concluded with the launch of the Africa Carbon Flagship Initiative, where Ms Brown advocated for integrating RECSOIL tools and methods. The following day, she served as an advisory board member to shape the direction and focus of the initiative. Both Ms Nabwami and Ms Brown played instrumental roles in forming the initiative's agenda and participated in discussions exploring climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts on the continent. Their active participation underscored GSP's commitment to advancing sustainable agriculture practices globally and promoting agriculture decarbonization in Africa.