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Past Project

Vital Signs

Climate

This initiative has ended, and as of May 2022, this webpage is no longer being updated regularly.

The world’s population is expected to grow to 9.6 billion by 2050, requiring an estimated 70–100% increase in food production.

But agricultural activities are affecting ecosystems, and the benefits they provide for people, more than ever before. There is an urgent need for better data and risk management tools that can guide decisions about agricultural development — and ensure that this development protects both people and nature.

Launched in Africa with a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to Conservation International, Vital Signs provided near real-time data and diagnostic tools to leaders around the world to help inform agricultural decisions and monitor their outcomes. This program was led by Conservation International in partnership with the Earth Institute at Columbia University and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in South Africa.

Building relationships with local partners

​Vital Signs operated by making grants to African organizations to implement the monitoring system in each country where the project works. From hiring local field teams to running projects on the ground, grantee organizations in Tanzania, Ghana and Uganda were key partners in the success of Vital Signs.

Partners established Vital Signs field offices in each country, and field teams traveled to high-priority regions to collect data on agriculture, biodiversity and human well-being. Data collection included conducting household surveys, measuring soil nutrients and crop yields, and performing both rapid and in-depth assessments of land cover and water quality.

60+

AFRICAN STAKEHOLDERS

Vital Signs gathered input on data and decision-support needs through a series of workshops in Tanzania, Ghana, Ethiopia and Uganda. Representatives from more than 60 African ministries, agencies, universities and nonprofits participated in these meetings.

If our measurements are flawed, decisions may be distorted … those attempting to guide the economy and our societies are like pilots trying to steer a course without a reliable compass.

Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress