GSP Webinar: RECSOIL: Recarbonization of Global Soils, 17 June 2020, Zoom platform. Presentation by Rosa Cuevas and Ronald Vargas, Global Soil Partnership, Land and Water Division, FAO.

1. Unlocking the potential of soil organic carbon:
RECSOIL, a response for action
Ms Rosa Cuevas, Mr Ronald Vargas
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. 6. Measuring, reporting and verification
• 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.

17. 7. RECSOIL MARKET PLACE
• RECSOIL Trust-Fund 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.
• RECSOIL in the Voluntary Carbon Market (using
private investments): generation of Carbon
credits for the Voluntary Market and/or carbon
pricing mechanisms under national schemes.

18. RECSOIL implementation in Costa Rica
C Emission
Compensation
Incentives to
implement
SSM
DONE:
1. Selection of activities:
COFFEE and PASTURES
2. Meetings and
workshops with product
activity experts
3. List of locally adapted
SSM that produce
proven C acumulation
4. Indicators and way to
measuring
TO DO:
1. Cost of implementing practices/ha
2. Cost of measuring and verification of the
aditionality of ecosystem benefits
3. Possible payment scenarios
SOC potential sequestration map of
Costa Rica in construction

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