Promoting Sustainable Soil Management to Improve Food Security and Human Well-Being

PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE SOIL MANAGEMENT TO IMPROVE FOOD SECURITY AND HUMAN WELL-BEING

By recognizing the threats posed by soil degradation to the overall environment, and their socio-economic and political implications at national and international levels, the project aimed to promote the sustainable use of soil resources at all levels through the implementation of Plans of Action and Regional Implementations Plans produced under the Global Soil Partnership, as well as through advocacy on soils as part of the Post-2015 and International Year of Soils 2015 development agendas. The key objectives were to promote sustainable soil management and improve soil governance to guarantee healthy and productive soils, and to support the provision of essential ecosystem services towards food security and improved nutrition, climate change adaptation and mitigation and ©FAO/Florita Botts sustainable development.

WHAT DID THE PROJECT DO? KEY FACTS The project contributed to mainstreaming soil governance by supporting the consolidation of regional soil partnerships via the execution of their Contribution implementation plans, the functioning of the Intergovernmental Technical Panel USD 1 644 737 on Soils – in particular following up on the launch in December 2015 of the Status of the World’s Soil Resources Report – and the implementation of global Duration and regional campaigns to increase soil awareness. December 2015 – March 2019 It targeted global stakeholders with an interest in global soil governance and linked to global actions such as the Post-2015 agenda, the World Soil Charter Resource Partner and others, as well as regional and national soil stakeholders (from national soil European Union (EU) institutions to policy-makers) grouped under regional soil partnerships whose principal focus is on soil governance. Partners The project’s activities were focused around the following three main outputs: FAO member countries and Global Soil (i) the effective functioning of the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils as Partnership partners (public or private an international mechanism providing scientific advice to the Global Soil bodies, universities and research Partnership and other panels in which soils play a role, (ii) partial implementation centres, non-governmental of the Global Soil Partnership’s Plans of Action via Regional Implementation organizations and farmers' or civil Plans, with a focus on soil governance at global, regional and national levels and society associations) (iii) advocacy and awareness-raising activities on the importance of healthy soils. Beneficiaries Decision-makers and soil users, such as IMPACT farming communities and national soil Technical and political capacities have been strengthened within national and institutions, especially in Africa, Asia, regional institutions through trainings and through the provision of legislative Latin America, the Pacific and the and normative tools, such as the Voluntary Guidelines on Sustainable Soil Caribbean Management and the International Code of Conduct for the Sustainable Use and Management of Fertilizers. Thanks to a wide range of communication activities, a number of countries have developed and implemented national soil laws, national soil programmes and have increased overall investments towards sustainable soil management. Furthermore, important networks, such as the International Network of Soil Information Institutions, the International Network of Black Soils and the Global Soil Laboratories Network, have been established in order to bring together interested partners to address global issues of local interest. MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS . Organization of the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth and Ninth working sessions of the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils. GOALS . Formulation, endorsement and distribution of flagship and normative publications such as the Revised World Soil Charter, the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management in the six official FAO languages and release of the Status of the World’s Soil Resources in English, French and Spanish. . Organization of two high-level symposia on Soil Organic Carbon (March 2017) and Soil Pollution (May 2018). . Presentation of the Global Soil Organic Carbon map at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties 23 and endorsement of the resolution on managing soil pollution at the UN Environment Assembly.

. Endorsement of the Regional Implementation Plans for Asia, Africa, DEVELOPMENT SUSTAINABLE Europe and the Near East and North Africa, and the implementation plans for Pillars 1, 2, 3 and 5, prepared and presented at the Plenary Assembly of the Global Soil Partnership. . Documents produced as a result of collaboration between the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils and other intergovernmental institutions. These included the Global Land Outlook and a special report on climate change and land degradation. . Organization of annual meetings of Regional Soil Partnerships to revise achievements and challenges against plans of action. . Over 250 experts trained in 112 countries through regional and international trainings on digital soil mapping, including mapping soil organic carbon. ©FAO/Giulio Napolitano . Workshop organized on the status of soil governance and legal/institutional frameworks for sustainable soil management in Latin America and the Caribbean. . Establishment of the International Network of Soil Information Institutions and the Global Soil Information System to monitor and forecast the condition of the planet’s soil resources. . Establishment of the International Network on Black Soils and the Global Soil Laboratory Network to answer critical questions related to the management of carbon-rich soils and data harmonization at laboratory ©FAO level for improved decision-making. . Coordination and successful holding of the awareness-raising campaigns for World Soil Day (2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018). . Facilitation of two soil awards: Glinka World Soil Prize (2016, 2017 and 2018) and King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award (2018).

Project Code FAO: GCP/GLO/663/EC ID donor: 21.020701/2015/720668/SUB/ENV.B1 ©FAO/Sue Price Project Title Support to the implementation of the Global Soil Partnership – Phase II Partnerships and Outreach For more information, please contact: [email protected] Contact Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Ronald Vargas (Lead Technical Officer) Viale delle Terme di Caracalla [email protected] 00153 Rome, Italy