Olufunmilayo Ande

Soil Science Society of Nigeria

Title：Soil Wealth to Global Security: Harnessing Regenerative Agriculture and Soil’s Multifunctional Role for Climate and Environmental Resilience.

Professor Olufunmilayo Ande is a distinguished Soil Scientist, Registered Soil Scientist (RSS), Fellow and Vice President of Soil Science Society of Nigeria. With over 30 years of experience, she has advanced sustainable land use and agricultural innovation and soil science advocacy. She is the author of more than 60 peer-reviewed publications and technical reports and has received multiple awards for academic leadership and community development. She currently serves as project coordinator for soil information development for her organization and coordinates seminar series and workshops for the development of academic personnel and empowerment with trending knowledge.

She previously served as Head of Soil Research at Obafemi Awolowo University’s Institute of Agricultural Research and Training, leading pioneering projects that integrated GIS, remote sensing, and conventional mapping for soil resource assessment. Her earlier role as Head of the GIS Programme at the African Regional Institute for Geospatial Information Science and Technology (AFRIGIST) further underscores her international influence. Professor Ande has contributed to projects funded by the World Bank, FAO, AGRA, Horizon 2020, and CORAF, including the development of Nigeria’s first digital soil organic carbon database. She coordinated the West Africa Soil Health Consortia Project, the Horizon 2020 Soil for Africa initiative and has trained over 5,000 farmers and extension agents in sustainable land use and climate-smart practices.

As Nigeria’s representative to the FAO Global Soil Partnership, she contributes to global soil information systems. Her innovations, including the pioneering use of SPOT satellite data for soil mapping, have shaped national land resources monitoring. She holds advanced degrees from the University of Ibadan and Obafemi Awolowo University, with specialized training in geo-informatics from the Netherlands, and continues to mentor young scientists, train soil health practitioners and impacts smallholder farmers with technologies for sustainable production and food security.