Eighth GSP Plenary Assembly | 3 - 5 June 2020, online. Megan Balks, Carolina Oliveira Sanchez, Zineb Bazza

1. Pillar 1

2. Protocol for the assessment
of the impact of sustainable
soil management
Megan Balks, Carolina Olivera Sanchez and Zineb
Bazza
ITPS/GSP Secretariat

3. Background
• A request to the ITPS to develop a protocol for
assessing compliance of a given practice according
to the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil
Management.
• First draft submitted to the GSP Plenary Assembly
in 2018 that requested further improvement.
• Submitted to the GSP Plenary Assembly in 2019
and was tasked to refine the indicators.
• New version presented here after an inclusive
process led by the ITPS.

4. What is it?
• A protocol for assessing whether a management practice is
sustainable according to the SSM definition.
• Compliant to the ITPS definition of Sustainable Soil
Management.
• Tool to verify the implementation of the Voluntary
Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management.
• Provides a framework, based on a set of indicators
(chemical, physical and biological).

5. What is it?
• SSM definition (VGSSM, 2017):
“Soil management is sustainable if the supporting,
provisioning, regulating, and cultural services
provided by soil are maintained or enhanced
without significantly impairing either the soil
functions that enable those services or biodiversity.
The balance between the supporting and
provisioning services for plant production and the
regulating services the soil provides for water quality
and availability and for atmospheric greenhouse
gas composition is a particular concern”.

6. What is it?
• SSM definition is based on ecosystem services, and
we are focusing on the following:
• Plant growth for food, livestock, fiber and forestry;
• Below ground biodiversity;
• Water quality and availability;
• Increasing carbon sequestration and limiting the
emission of greenhouse gases.

7. Indicators for assessing SSM
• Valid, reliable and precise
indicators.
• Minimum set of indicators
Soil productivity
Soil organic carbon
Soil physical properties (soil
bulk density)
Soil biological activity

8. Indicators for assessing SSM
• Additional indicators for
areas that have specific
issues:
• Soil nutrients (through P)
• Soil erosion
• Soil salinity
• Soil biodiversity
• Soil pH
• Field indicators

9. How to plan a SSM impact assessment?

10. Assess the SSM practices impact
Minimum set of indicators Change considered as a positive impact on soil
Soil productivity (t ha-1) Increase
Related to the crop or land use
Soil organic carbon %
Increase
The SOC value depends on the type of soil and the climate. Expected increase up to
20% depending on the initial state of the soil.
Bulk density (kg dm-3)
(Porosity= 1-(BD/2.65)
Decrease
Standard value for bulk density (BD) around 1kg dm-3
; porosity of about 50 -60%
Extreme (undesirable) value BD > 1.6 kg dm-3
, porosity < 45%
Soil respiration rate
(g CO2 m− 2 d− 1)
Increase
<1.4 g CO2 m− 2
d− 1
limiting conditions for biological activity, 1.4 to 3 corresponds
to cultivated soils. 3 to 5.7 g CO2 m− 2
d− 1
is ideal in pristine soils
*in the tropics, the values are higher. Low: ≤5.7 ; Moderate: 5.7-12.8 and Adequate
>12.8 g CO2 m− 2
d− 1

11. Way forward:
• Detailed instructions for the
implementation in the field:
• Sampling
• Measurement
• Monitoring plans
• Use of the indicators
• Data mining
• Protocol evolution
• Sustainable management of the soil

12. • Participation expected for
the implementation
instructions.
• Important contributions
from the nominated
experts

13. Thank you for your
attention