The document discusses the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (VGSSM). It was endorsed in 2016 and provides recommendations for sustainable soil management. Implementation includes disseminating the VGSSM, translating it to local languages, and holding multi-stakeholder workshops at national levels to identify barriers and priority actions to promote sustainable soil management practices. The case of Iran is presented, where a workshop identified intervention areas like education, policy, and extension services. Participating agencies are asked to report on VGSSM implementation and translation in their countries.

1. Implementation of the Voluntary
Guidelines for Sustainable Soil
Management
Zineb Bazza

2. Pillar 1
Promote sustainable management
of soil resources for soil
protection, conservation and
sustainable productivity

3. The Voluntary Guidelines for
Sustainable Soil Management
• Endorsed by the 155th session of the FAO
Council in December 2016
• Published and available to all at the beginning
of 2017
• Provide general technical and policy
recommendations on sustainable soil
management

4. The Voluntary Guidelines for
Sustainable Soil Management
The guidelines focus mostly on the provision of
ecosystem services and elaborate on the
principles outlined in the revised World Soil
Charter, taking into account the evidence
provided in the Status of the World’s Soil
Resources (SWSR) report

5. The Voluntary Guidelines for
Sustainable Soil Management
+ =

6. Implementation
• Dissemination of the Voluntary Guidelines for
Sustainable Soil Management (VGSSM)
• Translation of the VGSSM in local languages
for better dissemination
• Implementation at the national level
• Multi-stakeholder workshops
• Reference for several GSP outputs (Fertilizer
Code and Protocol for the Assessment of SSM)

7. Implementation
Objectives:
• To identify all actions that have to be taken to
implement sustainable soil management.
• Establish a strategy to move forward with the
implementation.
• Identification of the main barriers to the
implementation

8. The case of Iran
• Organization of a multi-stakeholder national workshop
to:
1. Identify barriers, challenges and opportunities for
the promotion of sustainable soil management;
• Identify priority topics to focus on for the promotion of
sustainable soil management;
• National soil information and monitoring systems
• Awareness raising and education;
• Policy and extension services.
• Identify priority areas of intervention, actions and
stakeholder groups to involve.
2. Use results of the workshops to develop proposals
and include the identified actions in their national
work plan.

9. What is needed from the PA?
• Let us know if and how you are implementing
the VGSSM!
• Have you translated the guidelines in your local
language(s)?
• Are there any barriers to implementation at the
national level?
Main barrier at the GSP level: lack of resources
to implement at the global level

10. Next steps
• Call for proposals for small projects applying
the principles of the VGSSM (if financial
resources allow for it)
• Small projects would facilitate research and
partnerships leading to examples of sustainable
soil management practices to be scaled up at
the regional level.