From 23 March to 1 April 2026, CIHEAM Bari hosts a delegation of laboratory directors, technicians and analysts from Ghana, the Republic of Congo and Senegal, as part of a capacity-building initiative aimed at enhancing laboratory performance, harmonising analytical standards and improving the reliability of soil health data.

Implemented with leading Italian research institutions, the initiative addresses a shared challenge: strengthening the role of laboratories in supporting farmers, protecting soils and increasing the resilience of agri-food systems. The programme effectively bridges strategy and practice and includes a three-day study visit for laboratory directors and a ten-day programme of theoretical and hands-on training for technicians and analysts.

The laboratory directors will gain deeper insight into laboratory development pathways, with a focus on organisation, quality management and accreditation processes. Through dedicated sessions with CIHEAM Bari researchers and heads of thematic units, they will explore both technical procedures and the systems required to ensure effective, credible and sustainable laboratory operations.

Technical visits to Italian research institutions — including CRSFA, the University of Bari and CNR institutes — will further enrich the programme, expanding discussion on soil chemistry, contamination, plant genetic resources and agri-food quality.

In parallel, the technicians and analysts will take part in an intensive course on soil fertility analysis. Daily laboratory activities will provide a practical platform for exchange, covering pH measurement, salinity assessment, nitrogen and phosphorus analysis. Participants will compare analytical methods, discuss operational challenges and explore how new approaches can be adapted to their respective laboratory contexts. The training will also offer exposure to advanced analytical technologies, with a strong emphasis on practical applicability.

A key added value of the initiative lies in bringing together managerial and technical profiles within a shared learning framework. This approach fosters a common understanding of laboratory performance—not as the result of isolated tasks, but as the outcome of coordinated decisions, standards, methods and day-to-day practices.

The expected programme’s impact will extend beyond the duration of the training and technical visits. By strengthening professional linkages between African and Italian laboratories, the initiative will help build a broader community committed to improving analytical reliability, advancing shared quality standards and reinforcing institutional capacities. In the longer term, these efforts will lead to the production of more reliable soil data, more effective support to farmers and more sustainable agri-food systems across partner countries.

These activities are implemented by CIHEAM Bari through the AREA Africa Programme, which forms part of the Italian international cooperation initiative developed within a balanced public–private partnership framework under the Mattei Plan for Africa. The programme falls within the Action for the Strengthening of Agro-Food Ecosystems in Africa (AREA), co-financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) with CIHEAM Bari serving as the knowledge partner and implementing body for the public component, and BFI acting as the private partner.

Cultivating knowledge. Harvesting change