1) The International Year of Soils aimed to raise awareness of the importance of soils for food production, climate change, biodiversity and human life. 2) It succeeded in generating over $350,000 in funding and organizing over 600 events in more than 70 countries to educate about soils. 3) Key outcomes included the development of national soil information systems and legal frameworks to protect soils in several countries, as well as new soil restoration programs and guidelines for sustainable soil management.

1. Outcomes of the
International Year of Soils
Sompong Nimchuar
Permanent Representative of Thailand to FAO
Chair of IYS Steering Committee

2. General perception about soils
“Because it is everywhere, we tend to overlook the fact
that soil is a limited natural resource”
... But soils have been neglected for too long
International Year of Soils, Why ?

3. Key messages
Healthy soils are the basis for
healthy food production
Soils are the foundation for
vegetation which is cultivated or
managed for feed, fibre, fuel
and medicinal products
Soils support our planet’s
biodiversity and they host a
quarter of the total
Soils help to combat and adapt
to climate change by playing a
key role in the carbon cycle
Soils store and filter water
improving our resilience to
floods and droughts
Soils is a non-renewable
resource, its preservation is
essential for food security and
our sustainable future

4. Financial Resources Mobilized for IYS implementation
Donors
Kingdom of Thailand $100,000
Swiss Confederation $100,000
International Fertilizer Industry Association $60,000
European Commission ~$40,000
Russian Federation ~$30,000
International Association of Agriculture
Production Insurers $10,000
Austrian Hail Insurance Company $10,000
TOTAL $350,000

5. ‘Without healthy
soils, life on Earth
would be
unsustainable’
UN Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon

6. 1. Create full awareness of all stakeholders about the fundamental roles of soils for
human life and achieve full recognition of the prominent contributions of soils to food
security and nutrition, climate change adaptation and mitigation, essential ecosystem
services, poverty alleviation and sustainable development
2. to promote effective policies and actions for the sustainable management and
protection of soil resources
3. to advocate rapid enhancement of capacities and systems for soil information
collection and monitoring at all levels (global, regional and national)
4. to catalyze initiatives in connection with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)
process and Post-2015 agenda
International Year of Soils, Objectives ?

7. Objective 1 – Awareness raising

8. A wealth of communication material

11. Soil &
Climate change
Soil 101 Soil &
Nutrition
More than 40 videos produced to promote the IYS
FAO produced several videos and animations:
Videos

12. IYS logo available in more than 35 languages
Hindi
IsiZulu
Vietnamese
Japanese
Korean
Efforts made to translate the information
material into non-FAO languages upon request
Over 6O highlights written for the website
with coverage on the IYS section of FAO
homepage
Blog : Approximately 25 entries received with
more in the pipeline (blog will remain active
throughout 2016)

13. Some key initiatives

14. IYS events
• More than 600
(registered) events
• WHERE: more than 70
countries
• WHAT: wide range of
events: from art
exhibition, to high level
meeting, symposium,
regional consultations,
local workshop,
activities in school

15. More than 150 Articles
focusing on the IYS
the Guardian (10), BBC news (3) daily news (1) Sunday times (1)
Huffington post (3) Nature (4) New york times (8)
Washington post (1) China daily (1) National Geographic (dossier)

16. Other key FAO publications published during IYS

17. Objective 2 – Promotion of effective
policies and actions

18. Two key outcomes

19. New developments at policy level
National Soil information systems: implemented in FYROM,
Turkey. To implement Afghanistan, Cambodia and Sudan
National legal frameworks: Colombia, Bolivia
Soil restoration programmes: Mexico
Development of Voluntary Guidelines for sustainable soil
management.

20. Objective 3 – Capacities enhancement and systems for
soil information collection and monitoring

21. Capacity development
Capacity development
programmes implemented in
Africa, Near East and North
Africa and plans for 2016 in
other regions.

22. Objective 4 – SDGs and post-2015 agenda

24. Many thanks for your
attention
&
wish you a fantastic
World Soil Day !