The presentation was given by Ms. Viridiana Alcantara during the GSOC map training that was held in Aguascalientes Mexico, 26-30 June 2017.

1. Alianza Mundial
por el
Suelo
Viridiana Alcántara Cervantes
Global Soil Partnership Secretariat,
FAO Headquarters, Rome
Regional Training on Digital Soil Organic Carbon Mapping
Aguascalientes, México – 26 to 30 june 2017
National Laboratory of Modelling and Remote Sensing - INIFAP

4. 194 Member countries
> 225 non-state partners
Response from FAO and its members
• Overarching goal: build a strong partnership that takes into account
existing initiatives and institutions
• GSP is a voluntary initiative and does not create any
legally binding rights or obligations

5. Mandate of the GSP
• Improve governance of the limited soil resources to
guarantee healthy and productive soils for a food secure
world
• Goal: be an interactive and reponsive partnership
• Develop awareness
• Contribute to the development of capacities building on best
available science
• Facilitate and contribute to the exchange of knowledge and
technologies among stakeholders for sustainable
management and use of soil resources

6. Governance of the GSP
Partners:
Governments, international and
regional organizations and institutions
 Country focal points
Scientific and technical advice,
Composed of 27 experts from
all regions
Plenary Assembly:
Decision making body
Meets once a year
Central America, Caribbean
and Mexico Soil Partnership
launched in October 2013
7 Regional Soil Partnerships
Secretariat:
Coordinate and facilitate
action implementation,
hosted at FAO

7. Pillars of Action
PILLAR 1
SUSTAINABLE SOIL MANAGEMENT
PILLAR 2
INVESTMENT, TECH. & SCI. COOPERATION, POLICY,
EDUCATION, AWARENESS AND EXTENSION IN SOIL
PILLAR 3
RESEARCH
PILLAR 4
SOIL DATA AND INFORMATION
PILLAR 5
HARMONIZATION

8. Global Soil Information System
International Network of Soil Information Institutions (INSII)

9. Critical functions of SOC

11. GSOCmap
 First test round of the Global Soil Information System following a
bottom-up approach

12. Goals of Training on
Digital SOC Mapping
• Train national specialists, who commit to the
finalization of the respective national maps until 30
September 2017
• Data harmonization
• Strengthen technical knowledge for prediction and
uncertainty estimation of spatial distribution of
SOC and its relation to environmental covariates
• establish a plan for each country according to their
needs to follow up the finalization of the national
SOC maps and the regional SOC map for Central
America, the Caribbean and Mexico…and beyond!

13. Decisions from Plenary Assembly
• Countries with no SOC data should be supported with
the best available and reliable data sources unless they
explicitly wish not to contribute to the GSOCmap
• Endorsements:
• GSP Soil Data Policy
• Establishment of the Global Soil Information System
• Establishment of the International Network of Black Soils
• ISRIC appointed as GSP Soil Data Facility until Dec 2020
• Neil McKenzie from CSRIO, Australia appointed as INSII
Chair until 2019
• ITPS term prolonged to three years

14. Thanks for your attention and to
the co-organizers:
keep in touch…
GSP-GSOC-Map@fao.org
viridiana.alcantara@fao.org GSP-secretariat@fao.org
The GSP is all of us! Only together we can save our soils…