This document provides an overview of the ALTER project, which aims to investigate how investment in soil carbon can be used to alleviate poverty in dryland and wetland regions of Africa. The project involves researchers from Ethiopia, Uganda, UK, Italy studying sites in southern Ethiopia and southern Uganda. The research will assess how restoring or protecting soil services impacts poverty, develop scenarios to evaluate intervention options, and assess mechanisms to alleviate poverty through soil carbon. The project aims to provide evidence to support policies around soil management and investment, as well as contribute to advances in science.