Helping African Smallholder Farmers Fight Soybean Rust

As the climate changes, the risk of soybean rust, a destructive fungal disease, is quickly spreading. This disease threatens food security for many farmers.

Soybean rust is a disease caused by a fungus that can reduce crop yields by up to 80% if it is not controlled. Smallholder farmers, who often rely on just one or two crops for their livelihood, are particularly at risk.

A new partnership between Solidaridad, Kvuno, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and the Soybean Innovation Lab is bringing hope to smallholder farmers in Southern Africa. The goal is to tackle one of the most serious challenges they face: soybean rust.

To help farmers manage the disease, they are promoting an Early Warning System (EWS) to notify farmers in real-time about potential rust outbreaks and provide advice on how to protect their crops. The EWS will allow farmers to detect the disease early, giving them time to act before it spreads.

“Our mission is to create sustainable supply chains that are not only prosperous but also in harmony with nature and inclusive of all stakeholders. By prioritizing farmers and workers, we ensure that every step in the supply chain is accountable and drives positive impact from the ground up. As we empower farmers with real-time data and tools to combat diseases like soybean rust, we’re strengthening the resilience of smallholder farmers across Southern Africa. This Early Warning System is a crucial step towards sustainable farming practices that protect both livelihoods and food security in our region,” says Shungu Kanyemba, Managing Director, Solidaridad Southern Africa.

The EWS works by planting soybeans in a small plot a few weeks before the main crops. When rust is detected in the small plot, farmers receive alerts and can take action, such as applying fungicides, to protect their main crops before it’s too late.

Farmers in Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique are already using these sentinel plots to protect their soybean crops. This early detection system helps prevent devastating crop losses and ensures that farmers can continue to provide food for their families and communities.

“We encourage smallholder farmers across Southern Africa to adopt the Early Warning System. This system, developed by IITA and the Soybean Innovation Lab with support from Kvuno and Solidaridad, uses special ‘sentinel plots’—small areas of land that are monitored closely to detect signs of rust early. When rust is detected, farmers receive alerts on their mobile phones through a simple app,” said Dr. Harun Murithi, Crop Health Specialist at IITA and Soybean Innovation Lab.

IITA has been working in Africa since 1967 to help farmers grow more food and improve their livelihoods. With decades of experience in farming and research, IITA is working closely with farmers to bring new tools like EWS to Southern Africa.

Similarly, the Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL) works to improve food security and nutrition by offering proven solutions, tools, and technologies that help farmers produce soybeans profitably across Sub-Saharan Africa.

“As we expand the use of this Early Warning System, it is essential that farmers receive timely alerts. This system is changing how we fight soybean rust, and we look forward to seeing how it will help farmers across the region,” added Dr Murithi.

As part of this initiative, sentinel plots have been set up in key farming regions in Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique. These plots are monitored closely to detect rust outbreaks, providing farmers with early warnings so they can protect their crops.

The project partners say this system is a major step forward in managing soybean rust and could soon be expanded to other countries in Southern Africa. They add that by using digital tools and sending timely alerts, the Early Warning System is helping farmers take control of rust management and improve their crop yields, securing food for their families and communities.

Smallholder farmers have been urged to participate in this Early Warning System and take advantage of the real-time alerts to protect their crops. Agricultural organizations are also encouraged to support this initiative, in order to reach more farmers and protect more crops across the region.

BY KIMURI MWANGI