Global Soil Partnership

GLOBAL SOIL PARTNERSHIP

Sally Bunning and Ronald VargasLand and Water Division, FAO Rome

• Why are Soils so important?• What are the Challenges: past, present and future?• Global Soil Partnership

• Why?• Vision and mission• Pillars of action• Governance• Status of its establishment

• Regional Soil Partnerships• How can EGU scientists/members contribute to the

GSP?

Outline

1. Why are Soils so Important?

SOIL IS A LIMITED RESOURCE

“Because it is everywhere, we tend to overlook the fact that soil is a limited natural resource”.

On top of that, the world’s limited area of fertile soils are increasingly under pressure from competing land uses. Soil degradation threatens this vital resource, weakening efforts to increase food production for a growing population.

Poor soil management, could lead to Degradation

• Worldwide soil is being eroded (carried away by wind and runoff) much faster than it is being replenished. In Somalia: an average of 100 tons/ha of topsoil per year is lost (SWALIM, 2009).

• However, natural soil formation from the mineralisation of rock and breakdown of organic matter into stable humus is a very slow process - to form 2 - 2.5 cm of soils, requires approx. 1000 years.

Why Soils?Soils are Finite on a Human Time Scale

Why soils? Soils provide multiple Ecosystem Services

Life support services•The soil renewals, retains, delivers nutrients and provides physical support for plants;•It sustains biological activity, diversity, and productivity;•The soil ecosystem provides habitat for seeds dispersion and dissemination of the gene pool for continued evolution.

Provision services•Soil is the basis for the provision of food, fibre, fuel and medicinal products to sustain life; •It holds and releases water for plant growth and water supply.

Regulating services•The soil plays a central role in buffering, filtering and moderation of the hydrological cycle;•It regulates the carbon, oxygen and plant nutrient cycles (such as N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S) affecting the climate and plant production;•Soil biodiversity contributes to soil pest and disease regulation. Soil micro-organisms process and break-down wastes and dead organic matter (such as manure, remains of plants, fertilizers and pesticides), preventing them from building up to toxic levels, from entering water supply and becoming pollutants.

Cultural services•Soil provides support for urban settlement and infrastructure;•In some cultures, soils may also be of specific spiritual or heritage value.•Soils are the basis for landscapes that provide recreational value.

What are the Challenges for Soils: Past, Present and Future?

Soil Productivity and Degradation

• Over some 50 years, world annual production of cereals coarse grains, roots and tubers, pulses and oil crops has grown from 1.8 million tonnes to 4.6 billion tonnes.

• These huge gains in agricultural production and productivity were often accompanied by negative effects on agriculture’s natural resource base (externalities)

• The land degradation effects are so serious that they jeopardize future productive potential: soil degradation and loss of biodiversity, salinization of irrigated areas, over-extraction of groundwater, build up of pollutants and pest resistance…..

• The declining quality of land and water resources available for food, feed, fibre, timber and fuel production has major implications for future food security and sustainable livelihoods.

• Many of today’s soil and crop, livestock and forest management systems are unsustainable:– extreme overuse of fertilizer in the EU serious nitrate build up in water resources that

threatens vast areas. – extreme under-use of organic and mineral fertilizer in most parts of sub-Saharan Africa

soil nutrients exported with harvested crops are not being replenished, leading to soil degradation and declining yields.

• Soils of varying degradation status (low to high) show increasing degradation trends (GLADIS, 2011):

Soil degradation status and trends(Global land degradation information system)

–Water and wind erosion

–Nutrient and SOM depletion

–Acidification–Salinisation–Compaction –Contamination

CURRENT AND FUTURE CHALLENGES FOR MANAGING SOILS

B

- In 50 years the world’s cultivated area has grown by 12%; the irrigated area has doubled; agricultural production has grown 2.5 to 3 times, thanks to significant increase in yield of major crops.

- But, global achievements in production in some regions are associated with degradation of land and water resources and deterioration of ecosystem goods and services.

- Towards 2050, rising population and incomes are expected to call for 70% more food production globally, and up to 100% more in developing countries (relative to 2009). Yet, the distribution of land and water resources does not favour countries that need to produce more in the future.

- The largest share of increased agricultural output will most likely come from intensification of production on existing agricultural land. This will require widespread adoption of sustainable land management practices.

CHANGE IN CROPLAND 1961-2009

B

IN THE PAST 50 YEARS…….

+12%

+117%

+200%

World’s cultivated land

Irrigated area

Agricultural production

Increments in the past 50 years

SYSTEMS AT RISK (SOLAW)

B

- A series of land and water systems now face the risk of progressive breakdown of their productive capacity (driven by demographic pressure and unsustainable agricultural practices).

SYSTEMS AT RISK (SOLAW)

B

NEW FAO PARADIGM FOR AGRICULTURE

B

NEW FAO PARADIGM FOR AGRICULTURE

B

FUTURE CHALLENGESGrowing population demands:

B

•Healthy soils to increase food production and ensure food security (crop, livestock, forest, fuel), support rural development & reduce poverty.• Diverse farming systems to maintain supporting and regulating services and to provide healthy diets & nutrition • Actions to reduce post harvest losses and food waste.

FUTURE CHALLENGESGrowing Water scarcity:

Climate change scenarios predict reduction of rainfall in some semi-arid regions and erratic, unreliable rainfall in many areas.

Is much of the water lost as runoff and evaporation (as above)?

Or is the soil ready to capture and retain water ( as below)?

Soil and vegetation management practices are key to efficient water use in crop, grazing and forest systems

FUTURE CHALLENGES Climate change adaptation and mitigation:

• Under climate change scenarios, the provision of environmental systems to meet demands of the growing population remains a challenge

• Soils play a key role in climate change adaptation (resilient, productive farming systems, efficient use of water) and mitigation (C sequestration; reduced GHG emissions)

(Fuente: Hiederer, R. ,2012)

SOILS ARE UNDER INCREASING PRESSURE

SOILS CANNOT BE POSTPONED!

Picture taken in Somalia, where water is a pivotal resource only if soil is available

Managing soils for climate change adaptation in Bolivia

2. Global Soil Partnership

• Soil data - fragmented, partly outdated (fertility, SOC,…), heterogeneous-difficult to compare, not easy accessible, not responding to users demands.

• Soil capacities - increasingly a scarce resource (loss of soil expertise & skills).

• Soil knowledge & research - fragmented (fertility, CC, ecology), domain of soil scientists, not accessible for use by various disciplines/for decision making, not tailored to address problems/development agendas of today.

• Awareness & investments in soil management - extremely low compared to the needs that soil is a precious resources & requires special care from its users.

• Soil policy: Often perceived as a 2nd-tier priority; lack of international governance body to support coordinated global action on their management.

Need for compatible and coordinated soil policies – A unified and authoritative voice is needed to better coordinate efforts and pool limited resources (for agriculture, forestry, food security, UNCCD, CBD, UNFCCC, disaster & drought management, land competition, rural & urban land use planning & development).

Soils situation today: Major concern

WHY THOSE ANSWERS?

Soils are often perceived as a fifth-tier priority at the international decision making process and also by the general public.

There is urgent need to raise awareness on the crucial role of soils for responding to today’s global challenges of food security, poverty and climate change.

Soils deserve much greater investment in all fields, including raising awareness, developing and promoting sustainable soil management practices, supporting technical cooperation, strengthening training of new soil scientists, developing soil information and knowledge with an interdisciplinary perspective capable of bringing the crosscutting issue of soils back into the centre of agricultural and environmental development processes.

• Improve global coordination /governance of the world’s soil resources through an intergovernmental mechanism;

• Put national and regional needs in the centre.

• Involve local institutions and communities to create ownership.

• Catalyse effective and coordinated soils policies and investments to guarantee healthy productive soils for food security and sustained ecosystem services.

Why a Global Soil Partnership?

The GSP was launched by FAO, with the support of EC-JRC, in Sept. 2011 and its Terms of reference are to be endorsed and guided by the Committee on Agriculture in May 2012 to:

200 participants; 100 countries 120 organizations; (int./reg./ national institutes; soil science networks; NGOs; universities research;farmers associations)

• The Vision of the GSP is the improvement of the global governance of the limited soil resources of the planet in order to guarantee healthy and productive soils for a food secure world, as well as sustain other ecosystem services on which our livelihoods and societies depend including water regulation and supply, climate regulation, biodiversity conservation and other cultural services.

GSP Vision and Mission

• The Mission of the GSP is to develop capacities, build on best available science, and facilitate the exchange of knowledge and technologies between stakeholders, for sustainable management of soil resources at all levels with a view to enhancing food security, protecting ecosystem services, and contributing to poverty alleviation in an era of increasing human demands and climate change.

GSP Proposed Pillars of Action

1. Promote sustainable management of soil resources and improved global governance for soil protection and sustainable productivity;

2. Encourage investment, technical cooperation, policy, education awareness and extension in soils;

3. Promote targeted soil research and development focusing on identified gaps, priorities and synergies among economic/productive, environmental and social dimensions;

4. Enhance the quality and availability of soil data and information: collection, analysis, validation, reporting, monitoring, integration with other disciplines;

5. Harmonize and establish voluntary guidelines of methods, measurements and indicators for soil protection and sustainable management.

Proposed structure of the GSP

Progress in GSP establishment

• During the last COAG 23 Session, the Committee (193 member countries) endorsed the initiative of the establishment of the Global Soil Partnership, and welcomed the update provided by the Secretariat.

• The Terms of Reference are under final review and adjustment by countries.

Progress in GSP establishment

3. Networking and Actions to address soils issues in the field FAO is funding LOAs with a leading institution in the regions to set up institutional networks as basis of the Regional Soil Partnerships and start a process of developing soil information systems in which capacity development is priority: •Asia: coordinated by Soil Science institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences; 1st meeting -16 countries & many institutions Nanjing Communiqué (11 Feb 2012)• MENA: coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture Jordan and ICARDA; 1st meeting early April; in addition to an Amman communiqué agreed to develop an FAO TCP project• Latin America: coordinated by EMBRAPA, Brazil, & Argentina; 1st meeting 16-20 April 2012;.• Africa: to be developed in consultation with TSBF-CIAT, ICRAF , Afnet network and other partners

The RSPs will prioritise and implement the GSP plans of actions, while addressing local needs with local experts and fostering south-south cooperation and collaboration (e.g. Globalsoilmap.net, Global soil forum etc.)

ASIAN SOIL PARTNERSHIP

Priorities for Asia (Nanjing, April 2012)

• to share and transfer knowledge & new technology within and beyond the region

• to provide soil information to all those with interest in sustainable use of soils and land resources

• to build consistent and updated Asian soils information systems and start to contribute to global soil information through initiatives such as GSM

• to train new generations of experts in soil science and land management

Nanjing, China 8-11 February 2012

MENA Soil Partnership

Amman, Jordan 1-5 April 2012

LAC Soil Partnership

Mar del Plata, Argentina 16-20 April 2012

4. GSP Workshop "Towards Global Soil Information: activities within the GEO Task on Global Soil Data” 20-23 March 2012, FAO HQ Rome.

Progress in GSP establishment

The workshop aim was to review the state of the art of tools and techniques for mapping soils at global and regional scales as an input for defining future activities for implementation under the GSP. Soil data/information user demands were also reviewed.

SOILS AND GSP IN Rio+20 AND BEYOND

Soils at Rio+20- Position soils on the sustainable development goals. - Soil Side events to raise awareness and promote the importance of soils for

sustainable development.

Beyond Rio+20• Recognition by UN System of the World Soil Day (5th December) and first

celebration this year organizing a workshop ”Managing Living Soils”. • Implementation of the first Global Soil Week 2012, November 18-22 2012.• Recognition of the International Year of Soils 2015.• Implementation of Plan of actions in the different pillars at field level.

JOIN THE GLOBAL SOIL PARTNERSHIP

THANYOU