The Regional Soil Partnership for the Pacific region (PSP) held its second meeting in April 2016 in Fiji. The PSP aims to improve soil management, increase soil literacy, and build capacity for its 22 Pacific Island member countries. Key accomplishments since the last meeting include developing a soil information model, conducting soil awareness events, and contributing to various global soil reports. The meeting reinforced priorities around sharing soil management solutions, increasing soil literacy, and designing effective soil analysis methods. The PSP also expressed support for the Global Soil Partnership's Pillar 4 work while noting some barriers to fully participating. It outlined plans to develop implementation plans and connect with other regional partnerships.

1. Report on the
Regional Soil Partnership
Mike Grundy
PACIFIC

2. • Established in October 2014, Fiji
• Second meeting held in April 2016, Fiji
• PSP governance
• Hosted by the Pacific Community (SPC)
• Members: 22 Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs), Australia
and New Zealand
• Chairman: Mr Inoke Ratukalou (Director, SPC Land Resources
Division, inoker@spc.int
• ITPS Pacific Representative: Dr Siosiua Halavatau, SPC:
siosiuah@spc.int and Dr Neil McKenzie (Australia):
neil.mackenzie@csiro.au
• Chairs of pillars:
• Pillar 1: Siosiua Halavatau (SPC): siosiuah@spc.int
• Pillar 2: Nacanieli Tuivavalagi (Federated States of Micronesia):
nat.tuivavalagi@gmail.com
• Pillar 3: David Hunter (Samoa): tilafono@gmail.com
• Pillar 4: Mike Grundy (Australia): mike.grundy@csiro.au
• Pillar 5: Allisson Collins (New Zealand):
CollinsA@landcareresearch.co.nz

3. Since last 3rd Plenary Assembly 2015:
• Some GSP related activities
• Regional celebrations for IYS 2015 and World Soil Day. Awareness
materials, social media, Public debate, national symposia, Pacific soil
learning exchange workshop, soil publications, release of Australian Soil
Grid . . .
• Contribution to the VGSSM and Regional Implementation Plan (RIP) for
Pillar 4
• Contribution to the “State of the World’s Soils Resources Report” and
“Regional Assessment of the Soils Report for the South West Pacific
• Meeting GSP reporting requirements- Update on progress of PSP to FAO ,
PSP updates for GSP website, Reporting of Pillar 4 activities/messages to
Pillar 4 working group and to INSII
• PSP members attending GSP meetings in Rome
• Establishment of the International Network of Soil Information and
Institutions (INSII), 2015
• 5th working session of ITPS held March 2016
• Open-Ended Working Group meeting for developing the VGSSM , April
2016

4. • Pacific Soil Learning Exchange - to promote ‘Healthy Soils for a Healthy Life’. The forum brought
together Pacific farming members including soil experts from within the region (Samoa, Tonga,
Solomon Islands, PNG, Fiji, Australia and New Zealand) to discuss soil issues.
• All countries in region part of Australasian Soil and Plant Analysis Council (ASPAC) (>20 years)
• Further development of soil information model (ANZSOILML) – Australia and NZ
• Extended with planned ACIAR project
• Further development of the fine resolution soil grid in Australia and NZ
• Standards, libraries, transfer techniques in rapid soil measurement (MIR, and new materials based
processes)
• Soil carbon stocks and trends integrated into national carbon accounts (Australia and in development
elsewhere)
• Integrated with advances in modelling and sensing
• Next stage of National Landcare Program to concentrate on soil fundamentals
• Australian and NZ cooperation on fine resolution soil function dynamics (moisture, nitrogen, carbon)

5. 2nd PSP meeting held in April 2016:
Nadi communiqué released
(http://www.fao.org/3/a-bl212e.pdf)

6. Key messages:
• Through joint activity and connections with the activities of
the GSP, we intend to improve productivity and share
resources and information, in order to increase local food
production and food quality, achieve climate change
mitigation and adaptation, control land degradation and
improve environmental management.
• Focus points for new activities:
1. Improving nutrient and water management in both high volcanic
islands and low lying atolls
2. Proceeding with the development of the Pacific Soil Portal
originally proposed by the Pacific Community and Landcare
Research NZ and incorporating recent developments in
information and computing technology
3. Promoting innovation in capacity building and training with a
particular focus on extension services for smallholder farmers
• regional implementation plan for the PSP in preparation

7. • We reaffirmed the priorities of the PSP identified in
the Suva Communique:
1. Sharing and developing appropriate soil management
solutions noting the particular challenges for atolls
2. Increasing soil literacy
3. Building local and regional capacity grounded in our
cultural context
4. Designing efficient and effective methods for soil
analysis that are locally appropriate and robust
5. Enhancing coverage of soil information, collating
legacy data and developing more usable forms
6. Ensuring soil information security to protect regional
data assets against loss
7. Sharing capacity including laboratories, portals and
extension resources

8. Pillar 4 Implementation
Pillar 4 Regional Implementation Plan (RIP) – PSP is strongly supportive. Some comments on
implementation:
SoilSTAT
• Monitoring soil condition is of interest to all partners in PSP: active programs are underway. The PSP
however is not sure at this stage of the connection of those activities with the SoilSTAT proposal.
Soil Profile and Point Data
• Tier 1: We support the development of standards for exchanging soil profile data but there are practical
and institutional barriers to sharing all such data at this stage.
• Tier 2: The PSP considers the PSP Tier 2 proposal attractive and where possible will support the
development of this data system.
Global Polygon Coverage
• Our response to the global polygon coverage proposal is dependent on progress and delivery in the Pacific
Soil Portal.
Global Grids
• HWSD: Currently there are no resources from the Pacific to respond to this opportunity.
• Version 0 and Version 1: The PSP is developing the capacity and programs to create the soil grids for each
country. While some of these grids are not yet complete, PSP will manage the construction and delivery
of the version 0 and version 1 soil grids

9. Future planning
• Short term (2016/2017)
• Development of PSP Implementation Plans
• In Pacific, a new project in development with ACIAR will meet elements of 1, 4 and 5.
• Long term (> 2017)
• Connection with other regional partnerships such as Asia (and including Timor
Leste), and US (given their investment in Pacific)
• Resource mobilization
ACIAR OPPORTUNITY –ACHIEVING SOME OF THE FOCUS AREAS OF PSP
PSP has developed a project proposal for consideration by prospective donors. The proposal
has focus on PSP priorities and GSP Pillars 1,2,4 & 5. Opportunities focused on the Pacific
Island Countries (in partnership with Australia and New Zealand).
• Improving nutrient and water management in both high volcanic islands and low lying
atolls
• Proceeding with the development of the Pacific Soil Portal originally proposed by the
Pacific Community and Landcare Research NZ and incorporating recent developments in
information and computing technology
• Promoting innovation in capacity building and training with a particular focus on extension
services for smallholder farmers