Fifth Asian Soil Partnership workshop 26 February - 1 March 2019, New Delhi, India Lucrezia Caon, GSP Secretariat

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

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

3. 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

4. What was done to implement the VGSSM in Costa Rica ?
1. Organization of a national workshop:
a) To raise the awareness of all interested stakeholders on the importance of
practicing SSM
b) To set the priorities on the 6 main crops in the country; establishment of a
working group for each of the selected crops. Each working group was
composed of 10-12 people from all sectors – policy, industry, scientists, farmers,
etc.. They worked on
i. Identification of the top 10 soil threats for each crop
ii. The surface area affected by each threat and its impacts on the yield were
scored from 1 to 3
iii. Identification of the causes of the top 3 soil threats per each crop
iv. VGSSM + local practices = find country specific solutions
v. Online survey asking how each of the participant could contribute to
implementing the newly found solutions
2. Use the results of the workshop for decision making at the national level and call for
coordinated actions between policy, communication and research
Final goal: Develop sectoral plans, strategies and policies in line with the VGSSM

5. What was done to implement the VGSSM in Thailand?
1. Organization of a multi-stakeholder national workshop to:
• Identify barriers, challenges, and opportunities for the promotion of SSM
in the country;
• Identify core topics of attention in the promotion of SSM at the country
level:
- Soil fertility (nutrient management)
- Salinity
- Soil management in highlands
- The King’s Theory
• Identify priority areas of intervention as well as actions and stakeholder
groups to involve.
2. Use the results of the workshop for project proposal writing and the
inclusion of the identified activities in the national action plan

6. 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.

7. 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;

8. International Network of Black Soils

9. 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!

10. 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:
• Mongolia
• Rep. of China
• Rep. of Indonesia

11. 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

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

13. 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.

14. Action 1: Assist finalizing the programme
through CESRA
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
through CESRA
1. Train Soil Doctors’ trainers
2. Train countries in developing their own reagents for the STK
3. Provide overall support as needed

15. 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 the end of March 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

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

17. 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.

18. Establishment of a Global Soil Research Platform
Action 1: Assist the GSP Secretariat developing the platform
(possible link to CESRA).
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.

19. Soil Pollution

20. 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.

21. 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

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

23. Pillar 4
Information and Data

24. Establishment of National Soil Information Systems

26. Yes
61%
No
17%
NA
22%
Countries participating in the survey
Cambodia, Malaysia,
Myanmar, Vietnam
Afghanistan, Brunei,
Maldives, Singapore,
Timor-Leste

27. 50%
43%
7%
Soil Information System
Yes No In process of establishing
9
4 4 4
Lack of skilled
staff
Insufficient
equipment
supply
Lack of national
conceptual
model and
standard
Lack of
communication
between
organizations
Main constraints for developing/maintaining a
Soil Information System (SIS)

28. Yes
64%
No
36%
Is all the data georefrenced?79%
14%
7%
Digital databases of soil properties
Yes No In process of establishing
Yes
36%
No
50%
Partially
14%
Is the data publicly accessible?

29. 7%
8%
79%
6%
Age of data
before 1960
1960-1990
1990-2010
after 2010
79%
14%
7%
Digital databases of soil properties
Yes No In process of establishing
Yes
71%
No
29%
Was the database recently updated?

30. 498
125
Soil Salinity Soil Pollution
Number of profiles on soil
salinity and pollution
Yes
64%
No
36%
Countries with profiles on Soil salinity
Yes
29%
No
71%
Countries with profiles on Soil pollution

31. Yes
57%No
43%
Is a quality control performed?
12
7
5
3
Lack of skilled
staff
Insufficient
equipment
supply
Lack of national
conceptual
model and
standard
Lack of
communication
between
organizations
Main constraints for developing/maintaining a
digital databases of soil properties

32. 29%
57%
14%
Soil Monitoring System
Yes No In process of establishing
4 4
2 2
Lack of skilled
staff
Insufficient
equipment
supply
Lack of national
conceptual
model and
standard
Lack of
communication
between
organizations
Main constraints for developing/maintaining a
Soil Monitoring System

33. Establishment of National Soil Information Systems
(NSIS)
- PROCEDURE -
1. Have a good idea of what is available at the national level. Fragmentation of data
should be overcome!
Country submission 1 Country submission 2
Publicly accessible Yes No
Data from before 1960 0 2930
1960-1990 40000 8178
1990-2010 46000 57
Data on Soil Salinity Yes No
Quality control Yes No
Table 1 Table highlighting contrasting answers submitted by the same country

34. Establishment of National Soil Information Systems
(NSIS)
- PROCEDURE -
1. Have a good idea of what is available at the national level. Fragmentation of data
should be overcome!
- STEP 1: National Focal Points to compile a list of institutions dealing with soil data.
Please specify which institutions you are in contact already and which ones you
are not.
- STEP 2: Ask the institutions identified in STEP 1 to answer the “Country Soil
Information Survey”
- STEP 3: make a country specific analysis.
o What are the barriers, limitations, gaps, etc. to data exchange?
o Study how to bring those data together and ultimately get these institutions
to work together?
2. Harmonize national databases (link to GLOSOLAN and SEALNET)
3. Produce maps, websites, etc. Only at this stage we can talk about NSIS

35. National databases to be hosted by each country. The GSP Secretariat will provide
them with rules, procedures, tools, etc.
Establishment of National Soil Information Systems
(NSIS)
- PROCEDURE -
1.Ad hoc implementation - This is likely to be the case with institutions that already
have a SIS in place and wish to join GloSIS. In this case, the data provider must
thoroughly implement the GloSIS data exchange in its data services, to guarantee
full interoperability with the GloSIS federation. Note however, that this would not
require an adaptation of the original regional or national soil spatial data
infrastructure (SDI). The structure and functioning of these SDIs should not be
affected.
Participation levels:

36. National databases to be hosted by each country. The GSP Secretariat will provide
them with rules, procedures, tools, etc.
Establishment of National Soil Information Systems
(NSIS)
- PROCEDURE -
1.Ad hoc implementation
2.Reference implementation - data providers build their soil information system
based on the reference implementation of a GloSIS node, which is an off-the-shelf,
deployable bundle of technologies that perform the functions of a node, plus data
management. It can run on a single local server or in cloud environments; the data
provider decides on hosting of the node. Data providers opting for this option shall
primarily be concerned with the compliance of their data and its load into the node
database. The data provider can decide on the way of hosting.
Participation levels:

37. National databases to be hosted by each country. The GSP Secretariat will provide
them with rules, procedures, tools, etc.
Establishment of National Soil Information Systems
(NSIS)
- PROCEDURE -
1.Ad hoc implementation
2.Reference implementation
3.Support implementation - for data providers lacking the resources or knowledge to
set up and maintain a reference node. In this case their data are stored and published
by the support node, thus automatically complying with the GloSIS domain model and
the data exchange. Storing soil data in the support node could also be a temporary
solution for data providers that wish to establish a GloSIS-compliant soil information
system themselves: in the development phase the data provider could store its data in
the support node and then migrate these back to the country or institutional node,
once operational.
Participation levels:

38. 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 )

39. 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

40. 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

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

42. 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

43. 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.

44. 44
June 2017
5th GSP Plenary Assembly
November 2017
1st GLOSOLAN meeting
Establishment of GLOSOLAN
to strengthen the performance of
laboratories towards the development
of standards and to harmonize soil
analysis procedures in order to make
soil information across laboratories,
countries and regions comparable and
interpretable.

45. First Meeting of the 45
GLOSOLAN’s potential is tremendous
o To support decision making at field and policy levels;
o To support countries in reporting on the Sustainable Development Goals and on other
international commitments;
o To contribute to the development of international standards and indicators;
o To contribute to the establishment of the Global Soil Information System (GLOSIS);
o To contribute to the development of harmonized methods for the assessment and
monitoring of degraded lands and/or lands affected by climate change and other
threats, as identified in the Status of the World Soil Resources report;
o To improve the connection between soil chemistry, physics and biology;
o To contribute to and improve soil classification and description (in this regard,
GLOSOLAN should work closer to the other components of Pillar 5);
o To assist companies manufacturing laboratory equipment in improving their products
(and so also potentially open the path for new investments in the network);
o To expand the opportunities for technical and scientific cooperation;
o To strengthen the capability of extension services;
o To identify research needs; and
o To increase investments in research.

46. What is the role of these National Reference Laboratories?
To promote harmonization at the national level. How?
How does GLOSOLAN work?
Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN)
Regional Soil Laboratory
Networks (RESOLANs)
National Reference Laboratories, which were appointed by the
national focal point of each GSP member country

47. • Transfer information on GLOSOLAN to other labs in their country
• Transfer the knowledge acquired through GLOSOLAN activities to other
labs in their country
How does GLOSOLAN work?
Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN)
Regional Soil Laboratory
Networks (RESOLANs)
National Reference Laboratories, which were appointed by the
national focal point of each GSP member country

48. How does GLOSOLAN work?
Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN)
Regional Soil Laboratory
Networks (RESOLANs)
National Reference Laboratories, which were appointed by the
national focal point of each GSP member country
Promote the establishment of National Soil Laboratory Networks

49. 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

50. 50
June 2017
5th GSP Plenary Assembly November 2017
1st GLOSOLAN meeting
Establishment of GLOSOLAN
November 2017
1st SEALNET meeting
Establishment of the Regional
Soil Laboratory Network for Asia
(SEALNET)
Bogor, Indonesia

51. 51
November 2017
1st SEALNET meeting
Bogor, Indonesia
November 2018
2nd SEALNET meeting
Bhopal, India
- Development of Standard Operating Procedures for pH in
water, Organic Carbon by Walkley-Black, available
phosphorous and exchangeable potassium
- Regional proficiency testing

52. 52
Proficiency testing results by SEALNET: soil pH

53. 53
Proficiency testing results by SEALNET: soil pH

54. 54
Proficiency testing results by SEALNET

55. Action 1: spread the voice on SEALNET and support your national
reference laboratories in establishing your National Soil Laboratory
Networks
Action 2: send more representatives at the SEALNET and GLOSOLAN
meetings. The GSP can financially support only 1 person per country
but the more representatives, the more voice a country has in
decision making

56. To conclude
A note on the International Code of Conduct for the
Use and Management of Fertilizers
• Code presented to the 6th GSP Plenary Assembly: accepted under the condition
that it has to be reviewed
• Revised version submitted to COAG on October 2018. Request for further
review
• Revised version submitted to the COAG Bureau meeting. Request for further
review
• Minor remarks from African countries to be received by 25 February 2019
• June 2019: Code to be submitted to the FAO Conference

57. Thanks for your attention