Seventh European Soil Partnership Plenary Assembly, 10 September 2020, online (zoom platform). Presenter: Ronald Vargas

1. Report on GSP Activities
Ronald Vargas – GSP Secretary

2. UPCOMING 27th Session COAG

3. Pillar 1 – SSM Protocol
• 3rd version of the protocol
was presented to the GSP
Plenary Assembly in June
2020
• Endorsed in principle, final
round of comments is being
considered by GSP Secretariat
• Final version to be presented
to PA participants on 23rd
September 2020 for final
approval

4. Pillar 1 – Implementation of VGSSM and Fertilizer
Code

5. Global Soil Doctors Programme
• GSP Secretariat identifying promoters to implement
the programme at the local level
• Packing up kits to be sent to the interested partners
to pilot the project
• Working on translating the material with promoters
in different regions
Official Launch - 5 October 2020
fao.org/global-soil-partnership/pillars-action/2-awareness-raising/soil-doctor/en/

6. Global Soil Doctors Programme
fao.org/global-soil-partnership/pillars-action/2-awareness-raising/soil-doctor/en/

7. Global Soil Doctors Programme
POSTERS-INFOGRAPHICS
fao.org/global-soil-partnership/pillars-action/2-awareness-raising/soil-doctor/en/

8. 'Sustainable soil management for nutrition-sensitive
agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa and South East
Asia' project
The three project components are:
1.Revision of existing documentation on sustainable soil management for nutrition sensitive
agriculture and identification of knowledge gaps;
2.National capacities are developed to strengthen technical and local extension services to
implement sustainable soil management practices;
3.The policy environment for investment and technical cooperation is strengthened in terms
of promoting sustainable soil management that integrates nutrition-sensitive agriculture and
micronutrient management, supported by related guidelines developed under the Global and
Regional Soil Partnerships.
The goal of the project is to improve nutrition through the soil, crop, and
human continuum, particularly in locally-produced and consumed foods.
BANGLADESH
Selected crops:
Rice, mung
bean
cauliflower,
cabbage
BURKINA
FASO
Selected
crops:
Sorghum,
cowpea
MALAWI
Selected
crops: Maize,
soybean,
amaranth

9. Pillar 2 – Awareness Raising
Key activities – GSP Communication
Website maintenance and regular updates
• Global Soil Partnership, World Soil Day, FAO Soils Portal, Global Symposia websites and other in preparation
Newsletters, special announcements, webinars
• Regular newsletters and special announcements sent out to over 10 000 subscribers;
• GSP webinars on the implementation of key activities (Fertilizers Code and RECSOIL, high participation) Global
Soil Doctors Programme Launch (5 October 2020)
Communication products and Social Media
• Promotion of the GSP areas of work, main pillars activities and key steps in the implementation of EduSoil,
SoiLEX, RECSOIL, Fertilizers Code, SSM protocol, INSAS, INBS, INSII, GLOSOLAN, Soil Doctors, GLOSIS, Global
soil salinity map, GSOCseq potential map, capacity building), SoilSTAT
• Support to publication (preparation and dissemination), communication products (infographics, press release,
videos, highlight, webstory…
• Strong presence on social media (daily posts on twitter, Facebook and FAO corporate channels)

10. Awareness Raising
WSD’20
Keep soil alive, Protect soil biodiversity

11. Awareness Raising
• USE & DISSEMINATE WSD 2020 communication material
• SPREAD THE WORD on Social Media
• ORGANISE and REGISTER your event on the interactive map
• TAKE PART into the NEW Children Book CONTEST
• PARTICIPATE in the WSD celebrations
What can you do?
Communication Material
fao.org/world-soil-day

12. Awareness Raising
Awards & Prizes
Glinka World Soil Prize
Call for nominations
is OPEN until 30
September 2020
King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award
Call for applications is
OPEN until 30
September 2020
More information: fao.org/world-soil-day/

13. Pillar 2 – SoiLEX Web platform
The legal instruments will be categorised by
14 keywords:
• 10 Soil Threats,
• Soil Conservation,
• Soil Restoration,
• Soil Quality,
• Soil Monitoring
In addition to a search by keyword, a
search by country will be available on the
platform.
More on SoiLEX: fao.org/global-soil-partnership/resources/highlights/detail/en/c/1274929/
SoiLEX is an online global database specifically on soil
protection and soil degradation prevention legal
instruments.

14. SoiLEX - How to Contribute
• Respond to the questionnaire for your
country by:
• Including missing/new legislation;
• Indicate which legal instruments are
not longer valid;
• Classify them by SoiLEX keywords;
• Support the update and growth of
SoiLEX;
• Promote this tool at the country-level;
• Contribute to regional and national
studies on soil legislation.
More on SoiLEX: fao.org/global-soil-partnership/resources/highlights/detail/en/c/1274929/

15. Modernization of the William’s
Soil Agronomic Museum
One of the greatest soil monoliths exposition in the
world. Over 2500 monoliths archived and 900
monoliths displayed
Some content is outdated,
content is available only in
Russian, classifications
and descriptions of
profiles do not follow
international standards

16. The GSP is supporting the Timiryazev
Academy on the modernization works of
the Museum exposition:
- Creation of an online database with
landscape and analytical data and a photo
catalogue of soil monoliths
- Reclassification and description of soil
monoliths according to WRB classification
- Updating of the exposition materials
- Inclusion of electronic equipment
(touchscreen and video screens) to
improve the user experience
Modernization of the William’s
Soil Agronomic Museum

17. Pillar 3
ReSOIL: Online Database of Soil Science R&D
• Identify all existing soil research partners,
facilities and infrastructure, soil teaching and
research programmes, and soil related research
gaps
• Knowledge exchange and facilitation platform
for the development of joint projects
• Identify pools of external experts on different
soil-related topics

18. Pillar 3 – ReSoil Work Plan

19. • GloSIS Spatial Data Infrastructure
• GloSIS Data Hub
• GloSIS Data Exchange
• GSOCmap
• GSSmap
• GSOCseq
• GBSDmap
• GSERmap
• Trainings
• Product
Guidelines
• Technical
Manuals
• Regional, National Soil Information Systems
Development
Pillar 4

20. • GloSIS Spatial Data Infrastructure
• GSP SDF (ISRIC)
• P4WG
• GloSIS Discovery Hub ((soon
available)
• Single Point of Access
• GloSIS Data Exchange
• Pillar 5
• Ad Hoc Expert Group

21. GloSIS Global Datasets
GSOCmap – V1.0 (2017) … V1.5 (2019) …V.1.6 (2020)
GSSmap – V1.0 (December 2020)
GSOCseq - V1.0 (December 2020)
GBSDmap - V1.0 (INBS Member Countries - December 2020)
GSERmap - V1.0 (2021)

22. GSOCmap – It’s Evolving
GSOCmap v1.0
•2017
•71 National
Maps
•1 Million
Ground Data
GSOCmap v1.2
•2018
•75 National
Maps
•1 Million
Ground Data
GSOCmap v1.5
•2019
•85 National
Submissions
•1.1 Million
Ground Data
GSOCmap v1.6
•Improved
gap filling
•New national
maps
• GSOCmap has been updated to V1.6
• 2020 GSP Stocktaking Exercise revealed that GSOCmap is one of the flagship
products of the GSP & ITPS.
• Approval rate (usefulness, popularity) of GSOCmap is 76% (48% very useful,
28% useful)

23. GSSmap – Global Soil Salinity Map
• GSSmap Capacity Development
• GSSmap Technical Manual & Country Guidelines
• 7 Regions, 120+ Countries, 300+ Participants
• NENA, Africa, Asia, Pacific, Eurasia, Europe, Latin America
and the Caribbean
• Individual Training & Support Sessions

24. Thematic Areas: Soil Salinity
• FAO/ GSP publication on the global status
of salt -affected soils (SAS) with
contributions from member countries.
• Global Status of Salt-Affected Soils is
focused on the SAS extent and intensity
of salt levels in the soil at the national,
regional and global scales.
• To be published along the Global Soil
Salinity map as a way to better
understand and interpret the data.
Global Status of Salt-Affected Soils

25. GSSmap – Global Soil Salinity Map
• Data Submission Deadline > 30 August 2020
ParticipatingCountries
EURASIAEUROPE
SubmissionStatus
EUROPE -EURASIA

26. GSOCseq
Global Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration Potential Map
• Set attainable and evidence based national targets for carbon sequestration;
• Achieve their commitments to the LDN Target Setting Programme implemented by
the UNCCD;
• Simulate national soil organic carbon stocks under Business as Usual (BAU) and
different sustainable soil management scenarios;
• Identify which regions which have greater risks & greater potential;
• Support policy making in adoption of SSM practices that foster SOC sequestration at
national scale;
• Improve technical capacities on sustainable soil management, soil data
management, digital soil mapping and modelling.
• Improve soil health as an integral step towards achieving the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs),
• Support the provision of incentives to farmers implementing SOC-centred SSM
practices under the RECSOIL umbrella programme.

27. GSOCseq
Global Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration Potential Map
• GSOCseq Technical Specifications and
Country Guidelines has been published
• Technical Manual (in preparation)
• National Expert Nominations (ongoing)

28. GSOCseq
Global Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration Potential Map
Expert Nominations (9/9/2020)
Europe - Eurasia

29. GBSDmap
Global Black Soil Distribution Map
• Definition of Black Soil was approved by the ITPS
(2019).
• GBSD Guidelines (INBS & GSP Secretariat) –
ongoing.
• GBSDmap will be developed by INBS members.

30. Armenian Soil Information System
Before:
Soil Profile Database
• More than 500 georeferenced
profiles
• Site description
• Horizon data of soil properties
• Lab method description
Soil Map
• 1:100 000 scale
• More than 5000 polygons
Grids of Soil Properties
• DSM maps of major soil
properties: SOC, pH, N, P, K, CEC,
texture, salt content, sodium
content
• Based on more than 5000
agrochemical samples
• Fresh data 2015-2019
• Updatable with regular
agrochemical sampling
• All data in paper format
• 1 digital soil map with 16
polygons
GLOSIS principles
• Open access to all data layers
• WFS services for all layers
(to be online by
the end of 2020)
Process:
Results:
Digitizing paper
reports and maps
DSM training
and
production of
maps
Establishing
Web-GIS
system
Establishing
databases of soil
profiles and
agrochemical data
Engaging leading
national institutions

31. Pillar 5 – GloSIS Data Exchange
Implementing the domain model (that defines how soil data are
structured and exchanged) coming out of Pillar 5 (in progress)

32. Pillar 5 – GLOSOLAN
• Downscaling the activities
• Empowerment of Regional Soil Laboratory Networks
(RESONAL)
• Implementation of National Soil Laboratory Networks,
under the guidance of the National Reference Laboratories
• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
• Harmonization of new SOPs
• Demonstration videos
• Translation of the material in other languages
• Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC)
• Encourage laboratories to organize national
Proficiency Tests (PTs)
• Identify PT sample providers
More on GLOSOLAN: fao.org/global-soil-partnership/glosolan/

33. Pillar 5 – GLOSOLAN Work Plan
• Laboratory equipment procurement/donation
• Donors
• Barter system
• GLOSOLAN programme on Spectroscopy
as alternative for wet chemistry
• INFA - International Network on
Fertilizers Quality Assessment
• First ever-global customs control procedure
database SIMPLE - Soil IMPort Legislation
More on GLOSOLAN: fao.org/global-soil-partnership/glosolan/

34. Total number of countries in the region: 52
Total number of responding countries to the survey: 35
Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece,
Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia,
Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania,
Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, The former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, United Kingdom, Ukraine,
Uzbekistan
Missing countries: Albania, Andorra, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta,
Monaco, Montenegro, Norway, San Marino, Sweden, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan

35. Network Growth
European and Eurasian
Soil Laboratory Network
More on GLOSOLAN: fao.org/global-soil-partnership/glosolan/

36. Europe Eurasia
Number of national reference laboratories 23 6
Number of labs that registered spontaneously 66 17
Total 89 23

37. Thematic Areas: Soil Pollution
• Technical guidelines for assessing, mapping,
monitoring and reporting on soil pollution
• All chapters under development
• First drafts ready, but more work needed to harmonize
the content
• Progress slower than expected
• Expected finalization by February 2021

38. Thematic Areas: Soil Pollution
• Database of good practices on the management
and remediation of soil pollution
• Four chapters are still orphan
• Progress slower than the other document
• Complex to summarize relevant information and use
appropriate language (too scientific)
• It has a huge potential, nothing similar exist
• Some content has been used for the GASP report

39. Thematic Areas: Soil Pollution
• Global Assessment of Soil Pollution (GASP report)
PROCESS & PROGRESS

40. Thematic Areas: Soil Pollution
Global Assessment of Soil Pollution
(GASP report- February 2021)
Questionnaire:
• developed and circulated by GSP, UNEP
and WHO.
• 110 responses from 70 countries.
• MoAs, research centres and MoEs main
respondents.
• very limited information on the number
and extent of polluted sites.
• virtually inexistent information on diffuse
pollution.
• contradictory information for some
countries with more than one
respondent.

41. Thematic Areas: Soil Pollution
• Global Assessment of Soil Pollution (GASP report)
Literature review:
• about 2,000 scientific papers, national reports, UN reports, book and
newspapers reviewed
• Complexity on drawing limits, soil pollution is a very broad issue and tackles
practically all land uses, great diversity of contaminants, health and
environmental impacts…
• 10 regional and international consultants to develop the content
• Support from regional networks, some stronger (Eurasia and Asia) than others

42. Thematic Areas: Soil Pollution
• Global Assessment of Soil Pollution (GASP report)
Need for a global plan of action to:
1. strengthen existing international mechanisms (chemical conventions);
2. build capacities on soil contaminants assessment;
3. promote the generation and collection of reliable and harmonized data; and
4. develop strategies to reduce and prevent the impact of soil pollution building
on the VGSSM.

43. Thematic Areas: Soil Erosion
• The development of two special issues to be
published in December 2020
• Policy activities linked to the development of the
SoiLEX database
• Global Soil Erosion Map (GSERmap): 2021

44. Thematic Areas: SOC
• Endorsed by the 8th GSP PA.
• Implementation phase through
training workshops in the framework
of RECSOIL activities.
• Development of training material for
the implementation of the MRV
Protocol, in a modular way.
Development of tools to support
such training.
GSOC-MRV: Protocol for Measurement, Reporting, Verification and Monitoring to
Assess Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration and Greenhouse Emissions in Agricultural
Landscapes

45. RECSOIL
• RECSOIL toolkit to be completed in
December 2020.
• Development of a pilot project in Costa
Rica in order to scale it to other
countries / regions.
• Negotiation with GCF
• Dsicussion with countries such as
Mexico, Costa Rica, Spain.
• Establishment of Marketplace

46. • +260 authors (109 from Europe)
• Introduction of the main sustainable management
practices available with quantitative data on their
potential for soil carbon sequestration, on the form
of short factsheets
• Completed by practical case-studies from all
regions, showing concrete applications of SSM
practices on the field.
After the publication ?
• Analysis of results obtained per landscape and/or per region
• Creation of policy briefs/short publications (regional)
• Possibly completed by regional available information missing in the manual
• Led by the Regional Soil Partnerships?

47. International Network of Black Soils
• DEFINITION | APPROVED BY ITPS

48. International Network of Black Soils
• Call for countries to join the network according to
the endorsed definition of INBS.
• Support the activities of INBS:
• the report of the Global Status on Black Soils;
• the Global Black Soil Distribution Map (GBSDmap)
• http://www.fao.org/global-soil-partnership/intergovernmental-
technical-panel-soils/gsoc17-
implementation/internationalnetworkblacksoils/more-on-
black-soils/international-black-soil-monitoring-network/en/

49. Thematic Areas: Soil Biodiversity

51. Thematic Areas: Soil Biodiversity
• Plan of Action for the
International Initiative for the
conservation and sustainable
use of soil biodiversity.

52. Thematic Areas: Soil Salinity
Objectives of the network:
• To provide a platform for countries with salt-affected soils to discuss
common issues related to the conservation and sustainable
management of salt-affected soils.
• To foster collaboration among these countries towards promoting the
sustainable use and management of salt-affected soils and identify
relevant research gaps.
• To serve as a platform for knowledge sharing and technical
cooperation on salt-affected soils management.
International Network of Salt-Affected Soils

53. Thematic Areas: Soil Salinity
Global Symposium on Salt-Affected Soils (GSSAS21)
Postponed to September 2021