6th European Soil Partnership (ESP) Plenary meeting 28-29 March 2019 FAO headquarters, Rome, Italy Gulchekra Khasankhanova

1. Report on Status of the Eurasian Soil Partnership Activities. 2017-2018
Gulchekhra Khasankhanova, Yuri Mosi, Pavel Krasilnikov (EASP)

2. Plan implementation
2017 Tashkent Communiqué
The EASP NFPs and international partners:
Recognizing that sustainable management of soil resources represents an important
instrument to achieve the SDGs especially these related to food security and nutrition,
adaptation to climate change and mitigation, the achievements of the Land Degradation
Neutrality (LDN) targets and general ecosystem services.
Emphasizing that soil degradation (in its various forms, especially soil salinity, soil erosion,
loss of soil organic carbon and soil pollution) in the region is a serious problem that hinders
the valuable development of the region.

3. Implementation plan
Pillar 1:
 The report on barriers hampering the use of SSM practices has
been prepared;
 Review of the adopted national programs, legislation and
projects towards mainstreaming of SLM/SSM approach and
technologies in the EASP region are conducted;
 Analysis of the role and contributions of responsible institutions
to support of soil restoration and long-term INRM/SLM
programs and SSM actions has been provided;
 The test sites for successful SSM practice demonstration have
been chosen in Uzbekistan (in cooperation with ICARDA);
 The regional Implementation plan for VGSSM is under
preparation

4. Pillar 1:
Entry point(s) for integration into national
policies and programs
Armenia Azerbaijan Georgia Ukraine
 National Strategy and
Action Program to
Combat Desertification in
the Republic of Armenia.
2015
 Land Degradation
Neutrality National
Report. 2016
 IFAD Country Strategic
Opportunities
Programme 2018-2024.
2018.
 Greening Economies in
the Eastern
Neighborhood Organic
Agriculture (EaP-GREEN)
project
 GEF «Sustainable Land
Management for
Increased Productivity in
Armenia» (SLMIP). 2015-
2019
UNDP Development
concept “AZERBAIJAN –
2020: THE VISION OF THE
FUTURE”
GEF “Sustainable Land
and Forest Management
in the Greater Caucasus
landscape” project. 2013
Rural Household
Empowerment on
Management of
Production, Supply and
Market Access. Iran
(Islamic Republic of)-
Ministry of Jihad-
Agriculture
Third National Environmental
Action Programme of Georgia
2017-2021;
 Georgia’s Second National
Action Program to Combat
Desertification (NAP) for the
years of 2014- 2022;
Agricultural Development
Strategy (2015-2020);
 Strengthening Extension and
Advisory Services in Georgia
(SEAS) initiative funded by
USAID, 2013–2016;
 Participating in
the European Neighborhood
Programme for Agriculture
and Rural
Development (ENPARD),etc
World Bank & FAO «Soil
fertility to strengthen climate
resilience: preliminary
assessment of the potential
benefits of conservation
agriculture» project:
State Science & Technology
program "Fertility, Protection
and Rational Use of Soils", JRC,
2014;
Publication on SLM/SSM:
«Impact of land reform on
sustainable land management
in Ukraine»,
«Management of soil rational
use in the context оf European
integration»

5. Pillar 1:
Entry point(s) for integration into national
policies and programs
Belarus Moldova Russian Federation
 National Action Plan to Prevent
Land Degradation (including Soils)
for 2016–2020;
 Strategy for the implementation
of the UN Convention to Combat
Desertification;
 State program of conservation
and use of reclaimed land for
2011-2015;
 State program on overcoming the
consequences of the disaster at
the Chernobyl NPP for 2011–2015
and for the period up to 2020;
 State Program of Mitigation
Measures for Climate Change
2013-2020;
 Law “On the production
and circulation of organic
products” (No. 144-Z dated
Nov9,2018)
 National Land degradation
Neutrality Targets [Technical
Report]. Chisinau;
 Moldova has joined the LDN
global initiative of UNCCD in
May, 2016;
 Environment Strategy for 2014-
2023;
 Program for soils conserva-tion
and increase soils fertility for
the 2011-2020;
 Conservation agriculture
program for 2014-2020;
 The WB project «Competitive
Agriculture of Moldova» (MAC-
P): Sustainable land
management program in post-
investment grants. (2013-
2017).
 Federal Target Program «Conservation and
restoration of agricultural lands soil fertility and
agricultural landscapes as the national heritage
of Russia for 2006-2010 and for the period until
2013«
 Federal target program "Clean country" for
2014-2020;
 Development of land reclamation for
agricultural land in Russia for 2014–2020;
 Inter-Agency Scientific Expert Council “Global
Climate and Environmental Management: Zero
Emission and Zero Soil Degradation of Russia
(Agriculture and Forestry)” under the
Administration of President;
 Law “On Organic Products and Amendments to
Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian
Federation” (No. 280-FЗ dated July 25, 2018)
that coming into force on January 1, 2020.

6. Pillar 1:
Entry point(s) for integration into national
policies and programs
Kazakhstan Kyrgyz Republic Tajikistan
 Concept for transition of the
Republic of Kazakhstan
towards a green economy
(2015);
 2050 Strategy” (2012)
 “100 concrete steps to
implement the 5 institutional
reforms”;
 Improving the Climate
Resiliency of Kazakhstan Wheat
and Central Asian Food Security
(2012-2014),etc
 National strategy of
sustainable development of
Kyrgyz Republic for 2013-
2017;
 National Action Program of
the UNCCD (2015-2020);
 Concept of development of
the forestry for the period
till 2025;
 Program of food security
and nutrition of Kyrgyz
Republic for 2015-2017,etc
 National Action Program of the
UNCCD in Tajikistan (2000)
 Living standards improving
strategy of Tajikistan for 2013-
2015;
 Programme of reforming the
agricultural sector of Tajikistan
for 2012 – 2020;
 Program of the food security of
Republic of Tajikistan for the
period till 2025
 National Programming
Framework , CACILM (2006,
2009)

7. Pillar 1:
Entry point(s) for integration into national policies and programs
TURKEY TURKMENISTAN UZBEKISTAN
 Turkey Land Degradation
Neutrality National Report
2016-2023;
• 10th Development Plan (2014-
2018);
•National Strategy and Action Plan
to Combat Desertification (2015-
2023)
• National Strategy and Action
Plan for the Conservation of
Biological Diversity ;
•National Climate Change Strategy
(2010-2020) and CC NAP (2011-
2023);
 GEF/FAO «Sustainable Land
Management and Climate-
Friendly Agriculture»
GCP/TUR/055/GFF project,
2016-2019,etc
• National program of social
economic development till 2030;
• The Presidential National Program
on Reformation of Social Conditions
in Rural Areas, Cities, District Towns
and District Centres up to 2020;
• National strategy of Turkmenistan
on Climate Change (2013)
• National Forestry Program for
2013-2020;
• National Action Plan of Gender
Equality (2015)
• Strategy of actions in five priority directions
of development of Uzbekistan in 2017-2021;
• Uzbekistan Vision-2030: transfer to the
resource-effective model;
• State program to improve of ameliorative
conditions of irrigated land for the period of
2013-2017;
• Supporting Uzbekistan in Transition to a
Low-Emission Development Path;
• The concept of development of an
agricultural complex till 2030;
• National Program of Action for protection
of the environment for 2013-2017», etc.

8. Regional GEF / FAO CACILM-II project on «Integrated natural resources
management in drought-prone and salt-affected agricultural production
landscapes in Central Asia and Turkey» (2018-2021)
Community –level land
use planning
Catchment-landscape
level planning
Incentives (e.g. value
changes, PES) in place
Scaling up of INRM
Objective: to improve land condition and mitigate climate
change by supporting multicountry collaboration,
integrating resilience into policy, legal and institutional
frameworks, putting in place incentives for climate
SMART agriculture and upscaling such practices.

9. Implementation plan
The Eurasian Soil Portal is working а http://eurasian-soil-
portal.info
Advertising materials (brochures, posters, calendars, cartoons)
were prepared promoting the knowledge of soil and World
Soil Day.
The book Sustainable Management of Soil Resources in the Eurasian
Region is under preparation
The textbook on SLM for higher education programs in the agrarian
universities is under preparation (in cooperation with ICARDA)
Pillar 2:

10. Regional INRM/SLM programs and projects to support of EASP RIP
implementation
The World Bank - supported ECFS project on « Taking Stock of Human
Capital in Soil Science for Central Asia and the South Caucasus (2018)
Objective: to assess the status of human capital in soil science within Central Asian and the
South Caucasus that are essential for the delivery of soil health in support of productive
and profitable agriculture as one of the pillars of social stability and food security.
The project aims: to carry out soil research and knowledge sharing activities for building
capacities and improve understanding of how human capital in soil science systems respond
to soil degradation, changes in management and climate, and development of a set of
recommendations to highlight future soils education, research and dissemination.

11. Foresters from Kyrgyzstan and
Tajikistan discuss methods of seedlings
cultivation in the nursery in the Issyk-
Kul region, Kyrgyzstan.
Meeting of the National Pasture
Management Networking Platform in
Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Objective: Land users, government agencies and the private sector in Central Asia adopt
integrated, economically and ecologically sustainable forms of land use under climate change
Central Asia: Acting locally – cooperating regionally
Regional BMZ Programme
for Sustainable and climate sensitive land use for Economic
Development in Central Asia (2016-2019)
Regional INRM/SLM programs and projects to support
for SSM scaling out in Central Asia

12. EASP Publications
• Land Resources and Food Security in
Central Asia and the Caucasus (2016)
and Case studies Food Security in
Eurasia (2016-2017);
• Handbook for Saline Soil Management
(Russian ver. 2017, English ver. 2018);
• Four Small Research Projects on Soil
Salinity will published in Eurasian Soil
Science Journal (2019)
World Soil Day celebration
(in cooperation with the World Bank)
2016: Timiryazev Russian Agrarian
University, Moscow
2017: Lomonosov Moscow State
University
2018: Dokuchaev Soil Museum, Saint-
Petersburg
2019: Sochi, Russia
Pillar 2:

13. Pillar 3:
 Research studies on the Economics of Land Degradation in
Russia, Belarus, Armenia were implemented and published;
 In September 2017, the Soil Salinity Management training
was performed in Kharkiv, Ukrain;
 The contest of Small Research Projects was organized,
performed and published in the peer-reviewed journal
(2017-2018);
 The online courses for Eurasian partners on Food Security
and SLM/SSM were provided (2017).

14.  International Scientific and Practical Conference on «Soils and Land Resources:
current state, problems of rational use, geographic information mapping»
Belarusian State University, Minsk, 20–23 September, 2018
 IV International Conference on the « Development of Organic Agriculture in the
Republic of Belarus» Belarusian State Academy of Agriculture, Gorki, Mogilev
region, November 24, 2018.
 International Scientific Conference on the «Monitoring of the state of
environment for sustainable development. 25 years of the National
Environmental Monitoring System in the Republic of Belarus» 30-31,October,
2018, Minsk.
 International Scientific and Practical Conference «Improving fertility and
fertilizer application» Institute of Soil Science and Agrochemistry of the National
Academy of Sciences, Republic of Belarus, Minsk, February 14, 2019.
Pillar 3:
SSM Scientific Conferences : Republic of Belarus

15.  The impact of global and regional climate change on the soil condition of
Eurasia in the past, present and future;
 Mechanisms of stabilization of soil organic matter at the molecular and
ecosystem levels;
 Technogenic and agrogenic soil pollution;
 The creation of improved and artificial soil;
 Research of the microbiome and metagenome of the soils of Russia as the
basis for effective agriculture and soil protection;
 Digital farming, soil information systems, remote and geophysical
methods of studying the soil and soil cover;
 Economics of land degradation.
Special Offer for Interdisciplinary Soil Resources Studies
of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research
«The fundamental problems of soil research and soil management in Russia»
Pillar 3:
Thematic Areas:

16. Pillar 4 (EurSIS): Activities and contributions
2016-2017
• Training courses on digital soil mapping and soil information processing (Almaty,
Kazakhstan, 2016)
• a 3-week training session of FAO/GSP in developing national SOC maps,
Wageningen, The Netherlands 2017
• The workshop on practical issues of EurSIS (Moscow, 2017)
2017-2018
• The regional workshop “Development of expert systems based on large-scale soil
geographical databases” (Moscow, Russia, 2018)
• Training courses for partners (Kyrgyzstan, 2018)
2018
•Participation in the Skype-conferences of the Pillar 4 and 5 WGs to discuss the
implementation issues, such as SoilSTAT Concept Note, Country SIS_Survey, Country
SIS concept note, etc. (2018)
•Training course for partners from Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan was conducted
(September, 2018)

17. Pillar 4 (EurSIS): Activities and Publications
 Support in adaptation of the software v8.3 and the enhancement of
structure and integration of soil information's into the database has been
provided (2018);
 Two articles were published in the Eurasian GIS Congress 2018 collection
and one in the international manuscript, including:
Carsten Hoffmann, Oleg Golozubov, et al. Standards for collection,
management and provision of soil research data: two national case
studies. In the Novel Methods and Results of Landscape Research in
Europe, Central Asia and Siberia. Vol. 1.–М.:FSBSI «Pryanishnikov Institute
of Agrochemistry», 2018.

18. Pillar 5 (EUROSOLAN):
Steps forward:
 Step 1 – National network (supported by the Russian Ministry of
Agriculture) – The nomination of the Leading Soil Lab (CINNAO)  open
call for soil labs  registration of all soil laboratories who expressed their
interest in the GLOSOLAN network (Rome)  ring test
 Step 2 – Subregional network including countries from Eurasia –
Conference in Moldova (September 2019)
 Step 3 – Europe / Eurasia joint network - How to achieve it? Who is
responsible from Europe?

19. THANK YOU!!!