Thumbnail Image

Strengthening National, Regional and Global Capacities on Sustainable Soil Management and Soil Information - GCP/GLO/993/EC

Year of publication 2023

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 2

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Project

Synopsis (short abstract) Soils provide many critical ecological services, as well as being crucial for achieving food security and nutrition, as 95 percent of our food production is linked directly or indirectly to soils. However, recent assessments have demonstrated the extent to which soils are deteriorating. In fact, about one third of our soils globally are facing moderate to severe degradation, affecting the productivity of the one billion smallholders who depend on natural resources for their livelihoods, as well as the commercial farming and forest sectors. In this context, the importance of soil management is underestimated - including management in the field and in data collection and analysis - in the fight for food security, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and biodiversity conservation. The availability of soil data is highly heterogeneous in different regions, and in many developing countries there is no information about soil status, leading to agricultural practices that are frequently not appropriate for local conditions. Against this background, the project comprised the third phase of a European Union funded FAO project, advocating for enhanced soil governance and the dissemination and adoption of sustainable soil management (SSM) worldwide, as well as the improvement of soil data and information availability.

Language English

Also available in:
No results found.

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Thumbnail Image
    Project
    Promoting Sustainable Soil Management through the Global Soil Partnership - GCP/GLO/961/MUL 2021
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    Soils are essential to life on Earth they regulate nutrients, greenhouse gases and water cycles, provide raw materials, host one quarter of terrestrial biodiversity and function as the largest terrestrial carbon pool. Moreover, soils contribute to human development and well being, delivering a range of ecosystem services. As such, soil degradation poses a serious threat to food security and nutrition, as well as climate change adaptation and mitigation measures. Despite their importance, the protection of soils has long been neglected. Soil sustainability is a key factor in making progress towards the SDGs, while the protection and conservation of soil resources remain critical to sustainable development. Importantly, sustainable soil management approaches can contribute to the prevention, minimization and reversal of degradation processes. Established in 2012, the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) acts as a mechanism to strengthen collaboration among stakeholders in soil sustainability and enhance synergies across interventions. Capitalizing on the GSP network, this project promoted sustainable soil management around the world through the delivery of normative and technical actions that aim to optimize human land use and management for the long term maintenance of soil properties and functions.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Project
    Enhancing Capacity on Sustainable Soil Management in Rwanda - GCP/RWA/040/CPR 2024
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    Agriculture is one of the most important sectors in Rwanda, with about 80 percent of the country’s population living in rural areas and depending on agriculture for their livelihoods. However, soil fertility in the country is declining at an alarming rate due to unsustainable practices that lead to the degradation of soil properties. Against this background, current fertilizer recommendations needed to be revised, taking into account the status of soil fertility, cropping systems, plant nutrients requirements, and the economic aspects of fertilizer inputs. The project aimed to address the problem of declining soil fertility in Rwanda, by developing capacities on sustainable soil management to enhance agricultural development and promote ecological agriculture.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Project
    Capacity Development for the Sustainable Management of Soil Resources in the Nena Region to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - TCP/RAB/3802 2024
    Also available in:
    Soil degradation, particularly on agricultural and pastoral land, is a threat to the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region and presents significant risks to food production. The region's limited land availability further compounds the already challenging situation of stagnant agricultural productivity. Several factors contribute to the degradation of soil, namely salinization, sodification, the depletion of soil organic carbon, loss of vegetation cover, and soil pollution due to the excessive application of fertilizers and pesticides. Given this context, FAO’s Global Soil Partnership (GSP) sought to enhance the understanding of soil conditions in NENA and build the capacities of national experts on sustainable soil management (SSM). The project also aimed to develop collaboration and synergy in efforts between all regional and country-level stakeholders, facilitated by the project’s regional plenaries and action plans. As such, the project directly contributed to the work of the NENA Soil Partnership, which was established in 2012 to enhance collaboration between member countries in the region. Under the framework of the Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN) and its regional branch in NENA (NENALAB), the project worked to improve the capacity and performance of soil analyses in the laboratories of all participating countries. Key areas of focus included internal and external quality assurance, quality control, equipment use and maintenance, sample collection and analysis, and the interpretation and reporting of laboratory results. By addressing key technical concerns of the agricultural sector, the project provided strong technical capacity-building support to the existing government programmes and initiatives.
Show more

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

No results found.