The 5th NENA Soil Partnership meeting 01 Apr 2019 - 02 Apr 2019 Cairo, Egypt Lucrezia Caon, GSP secretariat

1. GSP developments of
regional interest in 2019
Ms Lucrezia Caon
GSP Secretariat

2. Pillar 1: Promote sustainable
management of soil resources for
soil protection, conservation and
sustainable productivity
Pillar 2: Encourage investment,
technical cooperation, policy,
education, awareness and extension
in soil
Pillar 3: Promote targeted soil
research and development focusing
on identified gaps, priorities and
synergies with related productive,
environmental and social
development actions
Pillar 4: Information and Data
Pillar 5: Harmonization of methods,
measurements and indicator for the
sustainable management and
protection of soil resources

3. Promote sustainable management of soil
resources for soil protection, conservation
and sustainable productivity
Pillar 1

4. Action 1: Implementation at the
national level.
Proposed approach: organization of
national multi-stakeholder workshops
Suggestions on other implementing ways
are welcome
Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil
Management

5. Procedure:
1. Identify case studies at regional and national levels where SSM is
successfully implemented. Reference document: “Protocol for the
assessment of Sustainable Soil Management”, to be presented at
the 7th GSP Plenary Assembly in June 2019
2. Map successful projects.
Mapping sustainable soil management
Develop integrated regional maps of successful SSM case
studies in order to scale them up.
Action 1: Submit successful case studies on the implementation of SSM
practices. Ms. Zineb Bazza, GSP, will soon send an email about it.

6. International Network of Black Soils
The establishment of this network has the following objectives:
- Provide a platform for countries with black soils to discuss common
issues related to the conservation and sustainable management of
these soils;
- Develop a report on the global status, current production and
challenges in black soils;
- Foster collaboration among these countries towards promoting the
sustainable use and management of black soils and identify relevant
research gaps;
- Serve as a platform incorporating real local challenges for knowledge
sharing and technical cooperation on black soil management;
- Develop governance guidelines aiming at improved black soils
protection and sustainable soil productivity;

7. International Network of Black Soils

8. Black Soils are soils with the following characteristics:
● High organic carbon content as per the follow:
○ More than 1.2% for cold and temperate
○ More than 0.6% for tropical and subtropical regions
● Dark to black coloured surface horizons
● Thickness of dark to black soil surface horizons not less than 25
cm
with the following complementary characteristics:
● A high base saturation of more than 50%
● Strong aggregate stability
● High level of nutrient content
International Network of Black Soils
It contains the definition of “Black Soils”…
…as well as the INBS work plan!

9. International Network of Black Soils
Action 1: Please join the network if you have black soils
and did not register yet
ASP countries that have joined the network
already:
• Iraq
• Syria

10. International Network of Black Soils
Action 2: Get ready to implement INBS 2019 activities:
- Training sessions on mapping. Outcome: Black Soil
Distribution map, to be launched in October 2019 at the
2nd INBS workshop.
- 2nd INBS workshop: discussion on how to write the report
on the Status of Black Soils. Expected launch of the
report: December 2019. All countries with black soils to
contribute to the preparation of the report

11. Pillar 2
Encourage investment, technical
cooperation, policy, education, awareness
and extension in soil

12. Global Soil Doctors programme
• Farmer-to-farmer training (from
soil status assessment to problem
identification and solving)
• On a voluntary basis
• Inspired by the Volunteer Soil Doctors
programme from Thailand
Potential: to create a self-sufficient system
that will promote the practice of
sustainable soil management independently
from the availability of national subsidies
and/or financial resources.

13. Action 1: Assist finalizing the programme
1. Development of regionally specific educational
material
2. Development of the Soil Testing Kit (taking into
consideration soil specificities)
Action 2: Assist the implementation of the programme
1. Train Soil Doctors’ trainers
2. Train countries in developing their own reagents for the STK
3. Provide overall support as needed

14. SOILex: contribution of Soil Legislation
information to country profiles
Purposes:
• Review the national soil legislation of each United Nations state members;
• Consolidate the information about soil management policies collected;
• Elaborate a conceptual model of legal and thematic elements for soil
management and conservation;
• Publicize the profile information at the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) website;
• Address policymakers to adopt measures to preserve and enhance soil
conditions.
Action 1: Review the database and update it as needed. First draft of it to be
circulated by April 2019
Action 2: Spread the voice on the existence of the platform. Use the platform
to promote the endorsement/review of soil related national policies

15. Pillar 3
Promote targeted soil research and development
focusing on identified gaps, priorities and synergies
with related productive, environmental and social
development actions

16. Establishment of a Global Soil
Research Platform
It will allow all significant R&D projects and
initiatives to be identified and foster future
cooperation once information is shared and
easily accessible.
This activity should give impetus to the
development of cooperation and stimulate
the financing of applied soil research.

17. Establishment of a Global Soil Research Platform
Action 1: Assist the GSP Secretariat developing the platform
The database should be easy for contributors to fill in and upload
all relevant information via an online form.
Action 2: Start compiling data to feed the platform.

18. Soil Pollution

19. Assessment of the global status and regional trends
of soil pollution
Conduction of a detailed study of soil pollution worldwide by
collecting basic information such as policies to prevent,
control and remedy soil pollution; the number and extent of
polluted sites; and, the identification and location of
potentially polluting activities.
Objective: This approach will help to better understand the
problem of soil pollution on a global scale and identify the
main knowledge and legal gaps.

20. 1. Collection of national inputs
Assessment of the global status and regional trends
of soil pollution
- PROCEDURE -
2. Organization of regional workshops to discuss
questionnaire results and which actions should be
taken at the national and regional level. September –
October 2019
3. Writing of a report on the global status and regional
trends of soil pollution. Draft ready by the beginning
of 2020. Report be presented at UNEA5 in March 2021

21. Action 1: Complete the online questionnaire.
The questionnaire was sent by Ms. Natalia Rodriguez, GSP Secretariat.
Deadline for completion of this assignment: May 2019
Action 2: Participate in the regional workshops and discussions.

22. Pillar 4
Information and Data

23. Establishment of National Soil Information Systems

24. Mapping
1. Update of the GSOC map to be published in December 2019
Action 1: keep on working on the update of your national SOC maps. National
updated maps should be sent to Mr. Yusuf Yigini (Yusuf.yigini@fao.org )

25. Mapping
2. Development of new global soil maps. Approach: same as for the GSOC map.
Trainings to start in May 2019. Be ready to implement on a short notice.
Action 2: Start identifying your national experts to attend the trainings and develop
the different maps
Type of map Material To be launched in
Erosion Technical spec. ready by the end of
March
Concept Note under development
December 2019
Salinity Concept Note ready
Technical spec. under development
December 2019
OC sequestration
potential
Technical spec. and Concept Note
ready
December 2019
Black Soils
distribution
Concept Note and strategy
document for mapping ready
October 2019

26. Soil Atlas of Asia by the JRC/GSP/FAO
Action 1: Contribute to its writing and overall preparation. You will receive an email
asking you to please revise the Table of Content of the Atlas, and to provide data,
information, pictures and text. Substantial contributors will become members of the
Editorial Board (participation in the next meetings and trainings).

27. For information
A portal (SoilSTAT) aimed at supporting countries in monitoring and reporting is
under development. This will deal with indicators and will link to the Global Soil
Information System (GLOSIS).
Procedure:
1. The 7th GSP Plenary Assembly will be asked to endorse the Concept Note on
SoilSTAT.
1. The GSP Secretariat will establish a country reporting procedure. The first
indicators countries will be asked to work on (2019-2020) are those on soil
erosion by water and wind, soil organic matter decline and soil salinization. Link
to ongoing mapping activities

28. Pillar 5
Harmonization of methods, measurements
and indicator for the sustainable
management and protection of soil
resources

29. P5GIP:
Work areas Products Actions 2019
Soil profiles Handbook/Webtool
Soil classification Web tool/soil portal
Soil mapping Reference Mapping System
Soil analysis Web information system,
ring tests, manual
Data exchange Exchange model/tools Contractor: SoilML
exchange standard
Countries to test
Indicators and
Evaluation
WIKI, guidelines
Pillar 5 Global-level activities

30. Which are the region-specific activities regarding Pillar 5
areas of harmonization?
Which soil indicators are important in the region?
An active regional Pillar 5 Working Group is
needed to support soil information system
building and exchange of harmonized data.

31. Purpose: to improve the quality of soil laboratory data to support decision making at
field and policy levels
Objectives :
1. To strengthen the performance of laboratories through use of standardized
methods and protocols.
2. To harmonize soil analysis methods so that soil information would be
comparable and interpretable across laboratories, countries and regions.
3. To provide a certification for technical competencies in laboratory analysis.

32. Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN)
Regional Soil Laboratory
Networks (RESOLANs)
National Reference Laboratories appointed by GSP
national focal points to:
• Transfer information on GLOSOLAN to other labs in their country
• Transfer the knowledge acquired through GLOSOLAN activities to
other labs in their country
• Promote the establishment of National Soil Laboratory Networks

33. Besides National Reference Laboratories, there are other
laboratories that spontaneously registered in GLOSOLAN.
These laboratories should be involved in the work of
GLOSOLAN through the National Soil Laboratory Networks

34. RESOLAN-NENA
LATSOLAN
RESOLAN- Africa
RESOLAN-
North America
???
RESOLAN-Pacific
SEALNET
RESOLAN-Europe & Eurasia
March 2018
November 2017
# of countries Nat. Ref.
Lab.
Spontaneous
application
Total
NENA 19 11 11 22

35. Action 1: Nominate your National Reference Laboratories
Algeria, Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,
United Arab Emirates
Action 2: Launch the Regional Soil Laboratory Network for
NENA
Action 3: start establishing National Soil Laboratory
Networks

36. Thanks for your attention