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 second day by Aracely Castro, and it presents Towards the LAC Soil Information System. ©FAO: http://www.fao.org

1. Aracely Castro
TOWARDS THE LAC SOIL INFORMATION
SYSTEM

2. - LAC is a reach territory in terms of their natural resources. High
biodiversity and variability of resources makes the region one of the
most suitable agricultural land in the world available.
- However, soil degradation is a real issue across some landscapes in
the region, especially due to unsustainable land management
practices.
- Natural resources geo-information is quite available at regional
and national level, in some cases freely available on internet.
- Spatial variability of soils is very high according to the different
landscapes.
BACKGROUND

3. - Only HWSD
available
(SOTERLAC
map).
SOIL INFORMATION AT REGIONAL LEVEL

4. - Rio workshop in 2010, funded by JRC, EMBRAPA and CIAT.
- Very heterogeneous across the region. Countries such as Brazil,
Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Panama, Cuba having strong and active
national soil institutions. Soil information available at national
level and also in scome cases at subnational level. Most of it
under GIS platforms. Digital Soil Mapping is also applied, specially
at research level.
- The situation in other countries is far behind and institutions
working on soils are not present or are rather weak. This happens
in Honduras, El Salvador, Bolivia and Paraguay.
- Private sector in some countries such as Honduras holds a very
reach soil database mainly focused at farm level.
SOIL INFORMATION AT NATIONAL LEVEL

5. SOILS GROUPS IN MEXICO

6. SOIL INFORMATION IN CUBA

7. SOIL INFORMATION IN PANAMA
- Soil
information
system available
including 1767
georeferenced
soil profiles.

8. SOIL MAPPING IN CHILE

9. The map of the soil organic carbon of Rio de Janeiro
State (0-10 cm) with environmental features

10. SOIL INFORMATION IN BOLIVIA

11. - Soil information is still considered useful and most of the countries
in the region have gone through soil survey activities for many
years. However, in some cases they didn’t know how to use soil data
properly.
- Few countries count with soil institutions working at national level.
- DSM is not widely adopted in the region as some Pedologist refuse
to cross the borders from their expertise.
- Capacity development of current and future generations of soil
mappers was identified as key area to support.
- Generate a regional soil information system
NEEDS AND PRIORITIES IN THE REGION

12. - Short term: FAO through the GSP is funding initial activities in LAC
regarding soil legacy data (maps and profile data) systematization
and empowering of institutions. This activity is being implemented
by CIAT.
- Under the same project, EMBRAPA Solos will develop a Digital Soil
Mapping toolbox to implement it in a capacity development process.
- Twenty countries involved and with a lot expectations, specially
regarding training.
- Medium and long term: the development of the LACSIS (Latin-
American Soil Information System) using DSM approach but with the
leadership of the national institutions and local talent.
TOWARDS A LAC SOIL INFORMATION
SYSTEM

13. THANK YOU!