At least nine countries in the region stand united on the need to restore limited soil resources and stop alarming soil degradation trends. The “Izmir Communique’” and a related draft five-year implementation plan for the Eurasia region were adopted at the Second Plenary Meeting of the Eurasian Soil Partnership earlier this month.

Participating countries included Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The Eurasian Soil Partnership is a subregional chapter of the Global Soil Partnership – FAO’s international initiative to improve global governance of limited soil resources and ensure sustainable soil management, protection and restoration.

“In this region,” said FAO land and water officer Ines Beernaerts, “partners agreed that the main goal for the Eurasian Soil Partnership should be to increase the area of land under sustainable management – in agriculture and forestry – through the adoption of sustainable soil management practices at a wider scale, especially in areas affected by soil salinity.”