FAO training on Technological Innovations in Soil Science for Nigeria Institute of Soil Science. 3 November 2020, Zoom platform Rosa Cuevas

1. Unlocking the potential of soil organic carbon:
RECSOIL, a response for action
Ms Rosa Cuevas
Global Soil Partnership-FAO

2. Soil is a valuable natural capital, but….
one third of our global soils are degraded

3. The current global challenges

4. The current global challenges
Desertification, drought, Land degradation
Protecting, conserving, restoring Biodiversity
Climate change – Mitigation and Adaptation
Food security and nutrition
Healthy soils = SOC
Soil carbon, the heart of the soil

5. SUSTAINABLE SOIL MANAGEMENT
AND SOC IN THE GLOBAL AGENDA
2019 2017
2017
2015
2012
Scaling up
actions on
the ground

7. How can we create an enable environment
for scaling-up SSM practices based on SOC
sequestration?

8. The problem
• Uncertainty about additionally
and permanence.
• Measuring SOC: not an easy and
cheap task, accuracy.
• Unavailable harmonized SOC MRV
Protocol at farm level.
• Recognizing farmers as the main
vehicle of change.
• Lack of financial incentives for
implementing Good practices.
• Lack of technical support to
farmers.
• Long-term investment.
• SOC sequestration not at scale yet.
Scaling-up sustainable soil
management practices based on SOC
sequestration

9. The main recommendations from the GSOC17
were to prevent further SOC losses and, where
feasible, providing incentives to increase SOC
stocks.

11. 1. Technical feasibility (current stocks)
GSOCmap – It’s Evolving

12. Is there potential?
COUNTRY
GSOC Map
Monthly Vegetation cover
NDVI-expert
Spatialized RothC
PLATFORM
(Fortran-R)
ATTAINABLE
SOC (Low Scenario)
Climate Grid
(1km x 1km)
SoilGrid
(1km x 1km)
C inputs and
managementGrid
(1km x 1km)
1 2 3
4
5
Monthlytemperature
Monthlyrain
Monthlypan-evaporation
Clay 0-30 cm
CurrentSOCstocks
Climatic national data layers Soil national data layers
ATTAINABLE
SOC (Medium Scenario)
ATTAINABLE
SOC (HighScenario)
Low:5% increase in C inputs
Medium:10%
High:20%
NPP – MIAMI modelLand Cover national dataset
SSM effect
on C input
Management National data layers
Modeling phases
Phase1
Phase2
Phase3
Global Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration Potential Map (GSOCseq map)
2. Technical feasibility (potential to sequester SOC)

13. 3. Committed farmers
• From subsistence to market
oriented farmers.
• Preferable farmer
associations.
• Condition: willingness to
adopt good practices.
• Benefits: technical support
and financial incentives

14. 4. Agreement to work with RECSOIL and access to
RECSOIL toolkit
Written Agreement between individual farmers or farmer associations to
implement RECSOIL.
GSOC map
GSOCseq map
GSOC-MRV Protocol
Manual of good practices
VGSSM + SSM Protocol
Global SOC Monitoring System
SOPs for soil organic carbon

15. 5. Implementation of Good SOC Practices (technical
support and financial incentives)
• According to the local
context, selection of the
good practices.
• Technical support for the
implementation of the good
practices on the ground.
• Financial incentives (3
payments, establishment,
after 4 years and at year 8).
• Continuous support and
monitoring.
• Soil Doctors for farmers.

16. Recarbonization of global soils: A technical manual of best management practices
+370 experts
A peer-reviewed meta-analysis of the main hot spots of SOC, SSM practices and farming approaches
In all landscapes : Croplands, Grasslands, Wetlands, Forests, Urban areas
Presented as factsheets
WHAT ?
WHERE ?
HOW ?
BY WHO ?
+Complemented by case-
studies of practical
applications of these SSM
practices
HOT SPOTS PRACTICES AND APPROACHES
Description and importance of the hot-spot
Geographical repartition
SOC stocks (quantitative)
Provision services associated
GHG emissions and climate change impact
Challenges and trends
Description of the practice
Geographical application
Potential for SOC sequestration (quantitative)
Provision services associated
Socio-economic benefits
GHG emissions and climate change impact
Points of attention to facilitate implementation
5. Implementation of Good SOC Practices

17. Examples of case-studies for
Africa and the NENA
Recarbonization of global soils: A technical manual of best management practices
5. Implementation of Good SOC Practices

18. • Measurement of Baseline at farm
level (before good practices are
implemented).
• Second measurement: after 4
years of implementation,
measurement of additionally of
SOC and ecosystem services.
• Final measurement: at 8 years of
implementation (reporting of SOC
seq. and multiple ecosystem
services achieved).
• Verification by VVBs.
• Intermediate measurements to
demonstrate change, can be
alternatively done using POM.
• All data feeding the Global SOC
Monitor System.
6. Measuring, monitoring, reporting and verification

19. 6. Measuring, monitoring, reporting and verification

20. Indicator Proposed Parameter/
metric
Laboratory methods Sample characteristics
Soil
productivity
Agricultural productivity
or biomass (t ha-1)
Dry weight of vegetation quadrats, or
yield measurements
Quadrat method or yield
measurement
Soil organic
carbon
% organic carbon Walkley- Black method
http://www.fao.org/3/ca7471en/CA7471EN.pdf
Representative soil sample
(200 g)
Soil physical
properties
Bulk density Bulk density (kg dm-3) Undisturbed representative
sample with known volume
Soil biological
activity
Soil respiration rate
(gCO2 m− 2 d− 1)
Soil respiration in dynamic closed
chambers method (DC-method).
Representative soil sample
(200 g).
6. Measuring, monitoring, reporting and verification

21. 7. RECSOIL MARKET PLACE
• Green path to support subsistence farmers.
They will accomplish multiple ecosystem
benefits (including SOC sequestration) but we
will not issue carbon credits. A Label of
compliance under the Voluntary Guidelines for
Sustainable Soil Management and RECSOIL will
be provided. Yet, all the benefits will be
accounted and informed.
• Carbon Market path (using private investments):
generation of Carbon credits for the Voluntary
Market and/or carbon pricing mechanisms under
national schemes.

22. 7. RECSOIL MARKET PLACE

23. RECSOIL implementation in Costa Rica
C Emission
Compensation
Incentives to
implement
SSM
DOME: A whole technical proposal for
implementation, including
• Selection of activities: COFFEE and PASTURES to
start.
• Proposal of how RECSOIL would be incorporated
into the Payment for Ecosystem Services
institutional framework that exists, operates and is
improved in the country.
• List of -approved- locally adapted SSM practices that
generate COS sequestration.
• Indicators and ways of measuring compliance with
SSM measures at the farm level.
• Proposal for recognition of producers based on
costs of implementation of on-farm SSM.
• Implementation of the GSOC-MRV Protocol and
verifying additionality and ecosystem benefits.
• All coordinated with relevant actors.
SOCseq map of Costa Rica

24. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!
For more information, please contact
Rosa.CuevasCorona@fao.org