This presentation was presented during the Asian Soil Partnership workshop that took place in Bangkok 14-16 December 2017. The presentation was made by Dhermesh Verma http://www.fao.org/global-soil-partnership/en/

1. DHERMESH VERMA

2. Importance of Pillar 1 for the Asian Region
1. SSM for Maintenance of critical soil functions and soil
biodiversity.
2. Sustaining long term food security, climate change
mitigation and adaptation.
3. To address soil degradation and improve soil
protection, conservation and sustainable use.
4. Sustainable soil management education, awareness
and extension.

3. Priorities of the Asian region in relation to Pillar 1
1. Identification of appropriate sustainable soil management
practices for all land uses…
2. Balanced soil fertility management for sustainable
agriculture production
3. Assessment of all barriers preventing the implementation
of sustainable soil management practices and proposal of
policy and technical solutions.
4. Develop a monitoring system to measure the progress of
implementing SSM.
5. Facilitation of a capacity building strategy amongst the
stakeholders to promote the adoption of SSM.

4. How does the ASP Implementation Plan address regional priorities?
Major activities in the implementation plan:
1. Implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for
Sustainable Soil Management.
2. Identification of appropriate SSM practices and systems.
3. Production of guidelines and tools for Soil Fertility
Management.
4. Assessment of barriers and policy technical solutions.
5. Monitoring System for Land Degradation and SSM
Implementation.
6. Capacity Building Strategy for the promotion of SSM.

5. Issues to solve during the workshop: overlapping activities
• 1.1.1: Assessment of soil conditions and identification of local constraints
Pillar 3 & 4 Large scale soil sampling and analysis; Use of Remote Sensing & GIS/GPS to map soil degradation and
socio-economic analysis
• 1.1.2: Selection of best management practices in different cropping systems
Missing data to be collected in conjunction with pillar 4. The selection will rely on 1.5.1.
• 1.1.4: Invest in science and technology development
Funding for sponsoring should be obtained through activities in Pillar-2
• 1.1.6: Promote research on SSM, supported by the establishment of pilot farms.
Suggestion to merge it with activities in Pillar 3
• 1.2.1: Fertility characterization, evaluation and mapping
Overlapping with Pillar 4
• 1.2.3: Develop tools for decision making on fertilizer application at the field level.
Suggestion to integrate with Pillar 3 & 4
• 1.2.5: e-village soil fertility management initiatives for fast and remote dissemination of
technologies
More clarification desired

6. Issues to solve during the workshop: overlapping activities
• 1.3.3: Dissemination of results of the assessment on the barriers preventing SSM
implementation
Possible overlap with pillar 2
• 1.4.1: Develop a multi task team to adopt existing soil and land degradation
indicators, as well as SSM and related indicators
Possible overlap with pillar 3 particularly with activities 3.1.1 & 3.2.2
• 1.4.2: Put in place a systematic program/campaign for soil data collection
Interaction with activities in pillar 3 and 4
• 1.5.1: Compilation of a database on best SSM practices
In coordination with activity 2.6.5
• 1.5.2: Creation of Soil Management Centers at regional level
Should work in collaboration with regional soil centers established under activity 3.2.1.
• 1.5.3: SAARC regional training on climate change impact on soil carbon storage and
turnover under diff. land use systems
This activity either can be shifted under pillar 2

7. Some Examples
1. Soil Health Card Scheme – India: Under the Soil Health Management Programme of
GoI Aimed at promoting location as well as crop specific sustainable SHM. Aimed to cover all
140 million farmers SHC distributed to 38 million farmers till 6 Dec. 2016. Crop specific
comprehensive recommendation being provided to every farmer (on fertilizer requirement
including secondary and micronutrients, organics, and soil amendments)
భారతీయ వరి పరిశోధన సంసథ
International Year of Soils
Healthy Soils for a Healthy Life
SOIL HEALTH CARD Name of
Laboratory
DEPARTMENT OF SOIL SCIENCE
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF RICE RESEARCH,
RAJENDRANAGAR,HYDERABAD
Farmer’s Details
Name ( )
SOIL TEST RESULTS( )
Address( )
Village( ) S.
N
o
Parameter
Test
Value
Rating
Sub-District( )
District ( ) 1 pH ( )
PIN ( ) 2 EC ( )
Aadhar Number ( .) 3 Organic Carbon ( )
Mobile number ( .) 4 Available Nitrogen ( )
Soil Sample Details 5 Available Phosphorus (P) ( )
Sample Number ) 6 Available Potassium (K)( )
Survey No. ( .) 7 Available Sulphur (S) ( )
Khasra No. ( .) /( ) 8 Available Zinc (Zn) ( )
Farm Size ( ) 9 Available Boron (B)( )
Survey No. ( .) 10 Available Iron (Fe) ( )
Geo Position (GPS) Latitude: Longitude: 11 Available Manganese (Mn) ( )
Irrigated / Rainfed 12 Available Copper (Cu)( )
Secondary & Micro Nutrients Recommendations
( )
Fertilizer Recommendations for Reference Yield (with Organic Manure) ( )
S.N Parameter
( )
Recommended for soil
Application (
)
Sl.
No.
Crop & Variety
( )
Referenc
e Yield
( )
Fertilizer Combination-1 for N P K
( N,P,K -1)
Fertilizer Combination-2 for N P K
( N,P,K -2)
1 Sulphur (S)
2 Zinc (Zn) 1
Paddy (Dhaan)3 Boron (B)
4 Iron (Fe)
5 Manganese (Mn) 2
6 Copper (Cu)
General Recommendations
1 Organic Manure
(
)
3

8. Some Examples
2. Reclamation of Sodiclands – India: Large scale sodicland reclamation carried out in Indo-
Gangetic plains with the aid of WB. ~4,00,000 ha. area brought under cultivation. ~7,00,000
families got benefitted, 75% being marginal farmers. Income gone up by >50%, ~25%
beneficiaries are brought above poverty line. (Activity – 1.1.3)

9. Some Examples
3. CSFMC – Thailand: Establishment of Community Soil and Fertilizer Management Centers for
the promotion of SSM. Currently CSFMCs are in 882 districts and 17,640 farmers are getting
benefitted. (Activity 1.5.2)
4. BHUSOD – Bhutan: Bhutan Soil Database. (Activity 1.5.1)
5. Certification of myGAP/myOrganic – Malaysia (Activity 1.4.5)
6. Soil Testing Project – Korea: Approximately 5,00,000 samples per year. (Activity 1.4.2)
7. Mobile testing Laboratories – Bangladesh: To provide analytical services to the farmers.
(Activity 1.4.2)
8. Soil Test kits – Indonesia: For balanced fertilization

10. Challenges/Problems related to the implementation of the
plan in the region
• Adequate and sustained funding to support – 5 years;
• Sufficient in-kind and co-funding regional and national
institutions and governments;
• Active participation by regional and national ASP partners;
• Political will at government level; and
• Mobilization of funds in close collaboration with the GSP
Secretariat.

11. Monitoring & Evaluation
• Assess relevance, efficiency and effectiveness of
project design and implementation;
• Project actual outputs and potential outcomes,
impacts and sustainability;
• Project performance in gender mainstreaming and
achievements on gender equality;
• Identify lessons learned about project design,
implementation and management; and
• Highlight achievements and practices worth up-scaling
and/or replication.

12. Thanks for your attention