12th ITPS working session, 26-27 May 2020, Zoom platform Lucrezia Caon

2. By Lucrezia Caon
GLOSOLAN coordinator

3. Established in November 2017 to harmonize soil
laboratory data and methods of analysis, and to
improve the performance of laboratories in soil
analysis
Received a request to look into fertilizers quality assessment and it is
now working on establishing the International board on fertilizers
quality assessment (INFA)
• To be launched through an online meeting on mid-June 2020. Main
objectives of the meeting:
 Define the international role and the specific objectives of
INFA.
 Develop the INFA work plan
 Identify international organizations like The Fertilizer Institute
that INFA should connect to (identification of cooperation
opportunities)

4. In order to prepare to the meeting
- Laboratories and institute responsible for the assessment of fertilizers
quality in their country are being identified
- Regional and international organizations, associations and institutes
working on fertilizers quality assessment and with agendas compatible
with that of INFA are being identified. As per the principles of
GLOSOLAN, INFA will try cooperate and limit duplication of efforts as
much as possible.
- All stakeholders working in the field of fertilizers quality assessment
are invited to complete the questionnaire at
https://forms.gle/Z5kYUpH5f6rpn6zUA. These inputs will be used to
open the discussion at the launch meeting of INFA.
Examples of the inputs we are collecting are herewith reported.
For more information on this activity
and INFA or to get involved, please
contact Lucrezia.caon@fao.org

7. Our expectations
- INFA will develop global and when appropriate regionally harmonized methods
on fertilizers quality assessment
- Global proficiency tests on fertilizers quality will be performed. A database on
customs control procedures similar to that prepared on soil samples can be
developed
- Possibility to establish regional centers for training and doing the assessment of
fertilizers quality
- Capacity building: training and equipment
NATIONAL LEGISLATIONS
In order for countries to use INFA methods, we need to work on INFA and
on policy in parallel