Soil to Seedling to Certificate: SAN's Global Impact Network in Action

Across two weeks of monitoring, one thread ran through everything SAN's Global Impact Network published: the closer you listen to the land, the better the decisions that follow. From a new pest-risk registry in Zambia to tarwi fields in the Peruvian Andes, from mangrove seedlings on the Kenyan coast to Farmer Field Schools in the Ecuadorian Amazon, members spent early-to-mid August turning soil science, safer pest management, and community knowledge into concrete action. Here's what radical collaboration looked like on the ground.

Regenerative Agriculture and Soil Health Take Center Stage

Soil was the star of the fortnight. At its 2026 Congress, Aapresid built its entire program around a single idea: listen to the soil, pairing more than ten thousand years of agricultural experience with new tools like AI applications in plant protection showcased by member Juan Marsigliani.

In Egypt, CottonConnect wrapped up the second phase of its Training of Trainers programme for the Egyptian Cotton Project II, building a network of master trainers who can carry regenerative practices across cotton and rotation crops for years to come.

Heliopolis University reinforced that same commitment, aiming to strengthen farming systems through better biodiversity and soil health. And SEKEM, which joined SAN this month as its newest member, is already looking outward: the organization is heading to UNCCD COP17 in Mongolia to share decades of regenerative work in Egypt with the global land-restoration community.

Safer Pest Management Protects Farmers and Ecosystems

Reducing chemical risk without sacrificing yields ran through several members' work. CABI was especially active on this front, helping Zambia strengthen prevention through a new National Pest Risk Register built with the country's Plant Quarantine and Phytosanitary Services, launching fourteen new Better Cotton Collection Centres across Sindh, Pakistan, and reporting from Kenya on how farmer training and awareness campaigns are supporting decisions to phase out hazardous pesticides.

In Peru, RAAA Perú promoted the cultivation of tarwi as a driver of the peasant economy in Ancash, then turned its attention to accountability, collecting nearly 5,740 abandoned pesticide containers from the Chillón Valley. In Uganda, Pelum Uganda brought the risks home for policymakers, with Bernard Bwembale sharing insights on highly hazardous pesticides at a Kampala forum on safe food systems.

Scaling Climate-Smart Technologies Across West and Central Africa

CORAF spent the fortnight turning research into reach. The organization published Climate-Smart Agriculture country profiles for eight nations implementing the Food Systems Resilience Programme, coordinated a training-of-trainers session in Niger to cut post-harvest losses in cowpea and sorghum, and supported ECOWAS teams in integrating gender perspectives into food security and climate adaptation programming. Taken together, it's a picture of an organization working simultaneously on evidence, skills, and inclusion.

Restoration and Indigenous Knowledge Anchor Community Resilience

In Colombia, Fundación Natura Colombia continued its long-running work in the La Mojana ecoregion, first strengthening land management with ten Community-Based Organizations in Ayapel, then explaining how ecological restoration is helping the region withstand rising temperatures.

On Kenya's coast, Nature Kenya reported that communities around Mida Creek have planted more than ten thousand mangrove seedlings this year alone, while also spotlighting Benedina Mwalukomba, a butterfly farmer turning conservation into income near Ngangao Forest. In Romania, Fundatia Adept sent researchers to Angofa to inventory wetlands and map invasive species as part of its long-term habitat monitoring work.

Farmer Field Schools and Food Sovereignty

Learning-by-doing remained a throughline for several members. Fundación Pachamama described its Farmer Field Schools as spaces built on the chakra, where ancestral knowledge and agroecological research meet, and later ran a Nutrition and Food Sovereignty Workshop addressing maternal and child nutrition in Amazonian communities.

In Uganda, Pelum Uganda helped eight Farmer Field Schools turn raw materials into nine finished products, from composite flours to quality seed, under its Rooted in Diversity project. And in Ghana, Orgiis Ghana highlighted a smallholder-developed organic weed control solution as a practical alternative to agricultural synthetics.

Certification, Market Access, and Rural Livelihoods

Market access work delivered some of the fortnight's clearest wins. Preferred by Nature confirmed that 35 Uruguayan rice farmers earned SRP Verified certificates covering roughly 20,510 hectares, while separately publishing an article questioning whether climate reporting has outpaced real impact.

Wild Asia kept its focus on smallholders, supporting farmers in its Wild Asia Group Scheme with training and market connections, then honoring Indigenous oil palm smallholders in Malaysia for International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples.

In Pakistan, REEDS Pakistan organized a Farmer Field Day under the Better Cotton Initiative in Vehari, while Rural Aid Pakistan highlighted that more than 8,000 youth volunteers have been trained through its community-based programs. In Malawi, Chipembere celebrated young people driving change across community mobilization, climate action, and economic empowerment.

Radical Collaboration, in Practice

Taken together, these two weeks show what SAN's Global Impact Network is built for: no single organization can fix a pest outbreak in Zambia, restore a wetland in Colombia, and train nine thousand young volunteers in Pakistan alone. But a network of members sharing knowledge, tools, and market access can move on all of those fronts at once. That's the essence of radical collaboration — agriculture that heals and nourishes people and planet, one field, one farmer, and one shared lesson at a time.

SAN members advanced soil health, pest safety, and Farmer Field Schools worldwide this fortnight.