Global Soil Partnership Plenary Assembly – Sixth Session 11 – 13 June 2018 FAO HQ

1. Regional Soil Partnership for
Central America, Mexico and
The Caribbean:
2018 Plenary Assembly
Report
Dr. Olegario Muñiz Ugarte - Chairman
.
GSP Plenary Assembly, June 11-13 2018

2. SOC Map of Central America, Mexico and The Caribbean
(GSP. 2018)

3. SOC Map of Central America, Mexico and The Caribbean
(GSP. 2018)
• First Regional Workshop on Building Capacities for SOC Digital Mapping 2017 in
Aguascalientes, Mexico with the participation and training of 38 experts of 14 of
the countries of the 2 Regions. In addition, a diagnosis of the data of the 15
countries of the Region for the elaboration of the different countries SOC digital
map as a contribution for the World SOC Map. Another was developed in central
America by CRS in 2017.
• Elaboration of National SOC Map in ISRIC, 2017 (Costa Rica and Cuba)
• Metadata:
Country submissions: Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Mexico and Panama.
Joint effort with GSP: Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago.
GSP Gap-filling: Bahamas, Haiti, Jamaica

4. Third Workshop of Regional Soil
Partnership for Central America, Mexico
and The Caribbean.
Panama City. February 20-22, 2018
15 countries (Focal Points)
Partners
NGOs
Secretariat
Main Results:
• Analysis of Achievements and Challenges
• Plan 2018 -2019, approved
• Heads of Pillars for the Region, elected
• Head of the Region was ratified

5. World Soil Day Celebration (WSD)

6. Educational activities dedicated to children
• Symposium of Educational Innovations in the Teaching of
Soil Science (by LSSS) in Mexico
• Latin-American educational project “Así son los suelos de
mi Nación” (LSSS)

7. Develop of MSc Program: Integral soil management for Central
America by CRS together with Universities of the Region and
international Institutions like CIAT and University of Florida to be
initiated in the second semester of 2018. It is planed to have a
Regional MSc Program for 2019.
Coordination workshop at University of Florida
Coordination regional workshop at El Salvador

8. Demonstrative Areas of SSM (Cuba), for the promotion
of SSM on students and stakeholders.
Polygons: Sites (farms) destined to
validate integrated technologies
for the management of soil, water
and forest resources, considering
also plant protection and
mechanization.
Existing, distributed throughout
the country:
• 35 provincial Polygons
• 124 municipal Polygons
• A total área of 32 281 ha
• 1 916 farms
Results (Impacts) are evaluated by
means of a SET OF INDICATORS:
• Economical
• Technological
• Environmental

9. Demonstrative Areas of SSM (NGO Catholic Relief
Service), for the promotion of SSM on students and
stakeholders.
• Nicaragua, El Salvador,
Honduras, Guatemala and
Mexico continued the
implementation of their
program, working with
over 3000 farmers (CRS
support)

10. Regional Workshop for Soil Laboratories Harmonization in Latin
America, Mexico and The Caribbean and Launching of the Latin
American Soil Labs Network (LATSOLAN), Texcoco, Mexico,
March 1-3 2018
with the participation of
18 countries of both
Regions and in connection
with GLOSOLAN and
Programs approval.
Participation on the International Network of Soil Information
Institutions (INSII) and the 3rd INSII Workshop at FAO HQ,
October, 2017

11. Regional status of soil pollution: Central America,
Mexico and The Caribbean
Main Causes of Soil Pollution on the Region:
• Fertilizers and Pesticides in high – input Agriculture
• Mining
• Oil spills

12. Next Future:
• Soil Erosion Assessment in Central America, Mexico
and The Caribbean Region.
• Pillar 1. SSM Management Program (Promotion)
• Pillar 2. World Soil Day 2018 celebration.
• Pillar 2. Promotion of educational, training and
divulgation activities.
• Pillar 3. Development of a harmonized methodology
for the region to obtain a baseline for the
establishment of medium and long-term experimental
trials that consider Impact Indicators.
• Pillar 4. Improvement of the Data Base of the Region
• Pillar 5. First Ring Test of analytical results among
the members laboratories of the Network using their
own methods and those agreed upon.

13. WEAKNESSES:
Countries FAO Representations
Focal Points
However, WE KEEP MOVING FORWARD

14. GSP: an opportunity for the region that we
can´t waste.
GRACIAS
DONATIONS
are requested