http://www.fao.org/globalsoilpartnership This presentation was made during the GSP/E-SOTER Global Soil Information workshop that took place at the FAO HQ, Rome , Italy from 20-23 March 2012. This presentation was made on the first day by Parviz Koohafkan,, and it presents Soil Data and Information Pillar. ©FAO: http://www.fao.org

1. GLOBALGLOBAL SOILSOILGLOBALGLOBAL SOILSOIL
PARTNERSHIP: PARTNERSHIP: Soil Data Soil Data
and Information Pillarand Information Pillar
Parviz Koohafkan,
Director Land and Water DivisionDirector, Land and Water Division
FAO, Rome

2. FAO’s most important publications present
comprehensive and objective information andcomprehensive and objective information and
analysis on the current global state ....
• The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA)g ( )
• The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA)
• State of the World's Forests (SOFO)
• The State of Food Insecurity in the World (SOFI)
• The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets (SOCO)• The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets (SOCO)
‘St t f’ bli ti l t d i t‘State of’ publications – selected requirements
•Comprehensive scope; global scope; balanced presentation;
•High-level target audience; Sensitivity of contents to Member States
•Publication in all FAO languages•Publication in all FAO languages
•FAO’s viewpoints (policy-relevant recommendations! priority issues!)
•Based on data and facts
2
SOLAW - State of the World’s Land and Water
Resources For Food and Agriculture

3. Resources availabilityResources availability
land and water
availability in
high incomehigh income
countries
land and water
il bilit iavailability in
low income
countries
Average per capita

4. Uneven geographic distribution of
l dland resources
300
Prime Good Marginal
200
250
100
150
Area(M.ha.)
0
50
Northern
Africa
Sub‐Saharan
Africa
Northern
Am
erica
Am
ericaand
Caribbean
Southern
Am
ericaW
estern
AsiaCentralAsia
South
Asia
EastAsia
SoutheastAsia
tern
and
CentralEurope
andRussianFederation
straliaand
New
ZealandPacificIslands
CentralA
W
este
Eastern
Europe
a
Aust

5. The use of resources by agriculture
20102010
12% used for
AG uses
70%12% used for
crop production
70%
of all water
ithdwithdrawn
world’s land surface total world’s water uses

6. In the past 50 years…
+200%I t +200%
Agricultural
production
Increments in the past 50 years
117%
production
+117%
W ld’
Irrigated area
+12%
World’s
cultivated land
g
+12%

7. Water Scarcity
1/3 of the world’s population live under water scarcity

8. Land Degradation, Desertification, Climate Change, Poverty
and Migrationand Migration

9. Agricultural systems at risk

10. Systems at Risk at a Glancey

11. Best options for the poorest?
Great success in the past… but still
nearly one billion people are hungryy p p g y
• Key questions:
– to what extent can farmers improveto what extent can farmers improve
their food production with low-cost and
locally-available technologies andy g
inputs?
– What impacts do these methods have onp
natural resources and environmental
goods and services and the livelihoods of
l l i th ?people relying on them?

12. TOWARDS 2050TOWARDS 2050.....
THETHE
CHALLENGE
AHEADAHEAD

13. Population increase and urbanization…

14. Projected Population Increasej p

15. Towards 2050… food requirements
+70%
foodfood
+70%
globallyfood
production
food
production
globally
100%production
needs
production
needs +100%
i d l iin developing
countries

16. The Challenges Ahead Require:
A Paradigm Shift in
g q
Development(Agricultural) Policies
addressing
While
Sustainingaddressing
food security
and Poverty
Sustaining
Natural
Resources Baseand Poverty Resources Base

17. THE ECOSYSTEM APPROACH
i t t f th i t t d t f l d t d li iis a strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living
resources and human activity that promotes conservation and
sustainable use in an equitable way
Climate
Change
Land Cover
Change
Biodiversity
Loss
Nutrient
Loading
Etc.
An ecosystem
Integrated Pest
Management An ecosystem
consists of a
dynamic
complex of
Management
Organic Agriculture
Conservation
Ecosystems
p
plant, animal
and micro-
organism
Agriculture
Other integrated
technologies
communities
and their non-
living
environment
technologies
FAO with many
partners is actively
ki th
Health Economics Social
environment
interacting as a
functional unit.
working on the
development and
dissemination

18. Soils at the Centre of the Paradigm Shift:Soils at the Centre of the Paradigm Shift:
A Multiple WinA Multiple Win--winwin StrategyStrategy
EconomicEconomic
A Multiple WinA Multiple Win--winwin StrategyStrategy
Economic
Benefits
Economic
Benefits
FoodFood
SecuritySecurity
Environmental
Q lit
Environmental
Q litQualityQuality

19. Why a Global Soil Partnership?Why a Global Soil Partnership?
• Improve global coordination through an
intergovernmental mechanism;intergovernmental mechanism;
• Put national and regional needs in the centre• Put national and regional needs in the centre.
• Involve local institutions and communities to• Involve local institutions and communities to
create ownership.
• Catalyse effective and coordinated soils policies
and investments for food security and the ESand investments, for food security and the ES.

20. The mission and vision of theThe mission and vision of the
Global Soil Partnership
“To build capacities and exchanges knowledge
and technologies for sustainable management
of soil resources at all levels to enhance food
security in an era of climate change and
propose national and international soil quality-
soil health Best Practices, standards,
guidelines and monitoring systems.”

22. GSP Proposed Pillars of Action GSP Proposed Pillars of Action
1. Promote sustainable management of soil resources for soilg
protection, conservation and sustainable productivity.
2. Encourage investment, technical cooperation, policy,
education awareness and extension in soilseducation awareness and extension in soils.
3. Promote targeted soil research and development focusing on
identified gaps and priorities and synergies with related
d ti i t l d i l d l t tiproductive, environmental and social development actions.
4.4. EnhanceEnhance thethe quantityquantity andand qualityquality ofof soilsoil datadata andand
informationinformation: data collection (generation), analysis,
validation, reporting, monitoring and integration with other
disciplines;
5. Harmonization of methods, measurements and indicators for5. Harmonization of methods, measurements and indicators for
the sustainable management and protection of soil resources;

23. Data problems and Gaps
• Soil data heterogeneous, fragmented, partly outdated
(soil fertility, carbon content) difficult to compare, not
easily accessible and not responding to users demands;
• Capacities in soils are constantly becoming scarce
• ( loosing soil expertise);• ( loosing soil expertise);
• Soil Knowledge too technical and specialized not
translated and used for decision making and nottranslated and used for decision making and not
tailored to development agendas of today’s issues;
• Investments in soil management are far too low
compared to the needs;
• Need for compatible soil policies for: UNCCD, UNCBD,
UNFCC F d it di t d d htUNFCC, Food security, disaster and drought
management, rural poverty , rural/urban planning, etc.

24. How to measure Changesg
S.O.M
Prod
vity
Land use change
M.&
ducti
y

25. THIS WORKSHOPTHIS WORKSHOP
The objective of this workshop is to review the state ofThe objective of this workshop is to review the state of
the art of soil information, tools and techniques
available for mapping soils at global and regional scales
as an input for defining future activities under the
implementation of the Global Soil Partnership. Soil
d t /i f ti d d ill b l i ddata/information user demands will be also reviewed.
Final products: a)) draftdraft planplan ofof actionaction forfor thethe soilsoilFinal products: a)) draftdraft planplan ofof actionaction forfor thethe soilsoil
informationinformation pillarpillar andand b)b) aa StateState ofof thethe ArtArt ReportReport onon
GlobalGlobal andand RegionalRegional SoilSoil InformationInformation.

26. AVAILABLE GLOBAL SOIL INFORMATIONAVAILABLE GLOBAL SOIL INFORMATION
The Harmonized World Soil Database is an example of work inThe Harmonized World Soil Database is an example of work in
partnership and is the only Global Soil Information System available.
1.
22

27. GSP Pillar of action on Soil InformationGSP Pillar of action on Soil Information
1.1. EnhanceEnhance thethe quantityquantity andand qualityquality ofof soilsoil datadata andand
i f tii f ti d t ll ti ( ti ) l iinformationinformation: data collection (generation), analysis,
validation, reporting, monitoring and integration with other
disciplines;
A joint plan of action for this pillar should be developed
taking into account the following:
‐ Address users needsAddress users needs
‐ National institutions at the center of
implementation
Capacity development programs‐ Capacity development programs
‐ Using the best science and technology
‐ Valuing soil legacy information
‐ Free accessibility of data and information
‐ Think about monitoring (to guarantee and
active and continuous process).

28. FAO Activities to support this processFAO Activities to support this process
1. Development of the FAO Soil Portal as a friendly source of information for the
member countries and general public;g p ;
2. Digitalizing the Soil Legacy Data and Information available at FAO
Existing Soil Maps: last entries into GeoNetwork 1200 maps globally.
Existing Soil Project Reports funded and implemented by FAO (be freely
accessible in internet)accessible in internet)
Existing soil legacy profiles for the world
Supporting regional process and national institutions in Asia, Latin‐
American and Near East and North Africa through: a) systematizing their
national soil information into a GIS format (maps and soil profiles, b) put
all this information into a regional system, c) develop capacities in Digital
Soil Mapping.

29. Conclusions
- Soil activities in general and soil mapping in particular have gone through a deep
t ff i th l t i fl i th d ti f i f ti d it i tcut-off in the last years influencing the production of information and its impact on
the decision making. This also has happened in FAO.
Soils are back on the agenda and an institutional framework to promote soil- Soils are back on the agenda and an institutional framework to promote soil
resources is needed. The Global Soil Partnership is aimed to be this platform that
advocate for soil resources. Joining forces is the only way to overcome the current
challenges.
- FAO has been historically a key organization promoting activities on soil information
production and use (with some gaps). Its intergovernmental setting provide it with
iti i th t i i ll i th d l i ldrecognition in the countries, specially in the developing world.
-Soil information is fundamental, especially in addressing key needs of the countries
and regions in all fields of application Making good use of the current technologiesand regions in all fields of application. Making good use of the current technologies,
tools and methods will helps to properly address the needs of soil information.
- “Enhance the quantity and quality of soil data and information” is a key pillar of theEnhance the quantity and quality of soil data and information is a key pillar of the
GSP. In order to implement this activity different partners should contribute with
their best to succeed

30. THANK YOUTHANK YOU