Regional Conference on Soil and Plant Health Management Towards Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in Asia Pacific
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Regional Conference on Soil and Plant Health Management Towards Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in Asia Pacific - by Louise Whiting
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Regional Conference on Soil and Plant Health Management Towards Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in Asia Pacific
- 1. Regional Conference on Soil and Plant Health Management Towards Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in Asia Pacific 21-23 November, Bangkok, Thailand
- 2. The Food and Agriculture Organization 48 Member Countries in Asia Pacific (36 country offices) and a Asia Pacific Regional Office in Bangkok ERADICATE hunger food insecurity and malnutrition SUPPORT sustainable management of agriculture, forestry and fisheries REDUCE rural poverty BUILD inclusive and efficient agriculture and food systems INCREASE livelihood resilience to threats and crises
- 3. How we work Louise Whiting, Food and Agriculture Organization
- 4. Regional Conference on Soil and Plant Health Management Towards Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Asia Pacific Approximately 33% of our global soils are degraded, leaving agriculture vulnerable and food security at risk Policy makers around the world are exploring opportunities to embrace sustainable development via the sustainable development goals
- 5. Why is this important? 99% of the world's food supply comes ultimately from land-based production with about 50-70% of the land devoted to agriculture. Modern agricultural methods such as plowing, fertilizer application and pesticides have often replaced biological soil functions and increased the reliance on external inputs to maintain productivity, which in the long run is unsustainable. Agriculture must, literally, return to its roots by rediscovering the importance of healthy soil, drawing on natural sources of plant nutrition, and using mineral fertilizer wisely.
- 6. Soil and the SDGs: Agriculture, and consequently, soils are at the heart of the SDGs and are fundamental towards achieving them. SDG 2: Zero hunger SDG 1: No poverty SDG 3: Good health and well-being SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation SDG 13: Climate action SDG 15: Life on land Cross-sector integration
- 7. The FAO Global Soil Partnership (GSP) Soil management 1 Awareness raising 2 Research 3 Information and data 4 Harmonization 5 The mandate of the GSP is to improve governance of the limited soil resources of the planet in order to guarantee agriculturally productive soils for a food secure world, as well as support other essential ecosystem services, in accordance with the sovereign right of each State over its natural resources.
- 8. GOAL 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development: o National governments o The international community o Civil society o The private sector o Other actors Despite advances in certain areas, more needs to be done to accelerate progress. All stakeholders will have to refocus and intensify their efforts on areas where progress has been slow.
Editor's Notes
- I lead the water team in Bangkok that consists of a range of experts in irrigation, environmental water management, economics and law – the Water Team works closely with other teams particularly land, climate change, forestry, agronomy, food systems and value chains and nutrition.
- Analyze data and present it in a way that is meaningful for decision-makers – includes food price index, famine warning, water, land, fishery and other natural resource data (FAO STAT) Provide a meeting place for nations to meet and negotiate/share best practices (Regional Conference Fiji, May) Share policy expertise and produce guidelines to help governments and NGOs safeguard the rights of vulnerable food producers Help governments and partners implement new practices in the field via thousands of field projects Work with countries to help them reduce disaster risk and also respond to emergencies when needed – here one of drones we are using in the Philippines to collect data and inform early-warning systems for farmers
- Soil is an essential resource and a vital part of the natural environment from which most of the global food is produced. At the same time, soil provides living space for humans, as well as essential ecosystem services which are important for water regulation and supply, climate regulation, biodiversity conservation, carbon sequestration and cultural services. But soils are under pressure from increases in population, higher demands for food and competing land uses. Approximately 33% of our global soils are degraded and policy makers around the world are exploring opportunities to embrace sustainable development via the sustainable development goals. Ref: http://www.fao.org/global-soil-partnership/about/why-the-partnership/en/
- ref: http://www.fao.org/ag/save-and-grow/en/3/index.html
- The unique role of soils in influencing the management and use of other resources such as water, land, nutrients, and biodiversity validates the efforts of the scientific community towards integrated resource management. Agriculture, and consequently, soils are at the heart of the SDGs and are fundamental towards achieving them. SDG 2 (Zero hunger) is the most straightforward link that connects soils, food production, and healthy living. Nonetheless, soils fulfil a large number of functions and ecosystem services (EC, 2006) that explicitly bind them with other goals such as SDG 1 (No poverty), SDG 3 (Good health and well-being), SDG 6 (Clean water and sanitation), SDG 13 (Climate action), and SDG 15 (Life on land). It has been agreed upon that cross-sector integrated work is imperative towards achieving the SDGs implying that soils also have an indirect presence in achieving the remaining goals. Ref: https://flores.unu.edu/en/news/news/the-role-of-soils-in-achieving-the-sdgs.html
- The mandate of the GSP is to improve governance of the limited soil resources of the planet in order to guarantee agriculturally productive soils for a food secure world, as well as support other essential ecosystem services, in accordance with the sovereign right of each State over its natural resources. In order to achieve its mandate, the GSP addresses five pillars of action to be implemented in collaboration with its regional soil partnerships Pillar 1: Promote sustainable management of soil resources for soil protection, conservation and sustainable productivity Pillar 2: Encourage investment, technical cooperation, policy, education, awareness and extension in soil Pillar 3: Promote targeted soil research and development focusing on identified gaps, priorities and synergies with related productive, environmental and social development actions Pillar 4: Information and Data Pillar 5: Harmonization of methods, measurements and indicator for the sustainable management and protection of soil resources Ref: http://www.fao.org/global-soil-partnership/en/
- Although the importance of soils seems clear, in the past it has not received due attention in terms of its use and management, since soils are often considered an infinite resource that will always be able to provide us with its ecosystem services. However, this is not the case and there is an urgent need to raise awareness on the importance of soil, especially the need to protect soils and use them sustainably. We are at a point where all the calls and pleas for action to mitigate the consequences of environmental degradation and climate change are just not sufficient anymore. It is time that we look over the fence towards other disciplines to reach out and form genuine collaborations. Ref: https://flores.unu.edu/en/news/news/the-role-of-soils-in-achieving-the-sdgs.html