Forum global sur la sécurité alimentaire et la nutrition (Forum FSN)

Dear All,

Good day!

Climate change is a defining moment of our time with major negative implications on ecology, human culture, livelihoods and food security. Carbon sequestration is considered one of the remedial measures to arrest climate change. The principal way of carbon storage in soil is through formation of soil organic matter. Soil organic matter is a complex mixture of carbon compounds consisting of decomposed plant and animal tissues, microbial biomass and carbon associated with soil minerals. Among all these soil organic carbon (SOC) is most important one. The soil organic carbon can remain stored in soil for infinite period or may quickly released back to the atmosphere depending on various conditions. Soil organic carbon acquires a steady state at its potential value, where CO2 loss and SOC sequestration is at the equilibrium.

With warm regards,

Pradip Dey

Dear All,

Good day!

Ensuring food security for burgeoning population necessitates the production of additional food grain from the same land without losing the production potential of the soil. This, in turn, requires extensive research to provide a scientific basis for enhancing and sustaining food production as well as soil productivity with minimum environmental degradation. In general, soil quality and soil health are often used interchangeably and are considered synonymous. Soil health describes biological integrity of the soil community the balance among organism within a soil and between soil organism and their environment. Soil quality is a term that more often is used to describe physical attributes of a soil. The term “soil quality” literally emphasizes on three important aspects, viz., (i) focus on dynamic rather than inherent characteristics of soil, (ii) soil fitness rather than just preventing degradation, and (iii) interactions among soil processes rather than soil components.

With warm regards,

Pradip Dey

Dear All,

Good day!

Soil quality has become an internationally accepted science-based tool for advancing the assessment, education, understanding and management of soil resources. Two of the most important factors associated with the soil quality concept are that (1) soils have both inherent and dynamic properties and processes and that (2) soil quality assessment must reflect biological, chemical, and physical properties, processes and their interactions. In general, SQI is a useful assessment tool that may help in soil conservation and resource management apart from assessments of soil erosion and changes in productivity. SQI can thus provide the necessary information for planners and decision makers to make informed decisions against SQ degradation using the introduction of appropriate interventions. Despite such importance of SQI in combating SQ degradation, only few studies have been reported in relation to various land use and soil management systems. This indicated that research on SQI has been mostly neglected for unknown reasons, with the most probable reason which could be technical and financial limitations. Adoption of targeted yield approach provides the scientific basis for balanced fertilization not only between the fertilizer nutrients themselves but also that with the soil available nutrients for sustaining soil health.

With warm regards,

Pradip Dey

Comment on consultation for developing the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management

Guide line: Controlling severe soil losses (deflation by wind) using natural  friendly materials, lessons learnt from Kuwait:

A large scale field experiment was recently conducted on soil losses control under very harsh conditions (wind speed from 40-50 km/hour and temperature ranging between 45-50 degrees Celsius.).Within 8 weeks ,vegetation cover was enhanced and the soil moisture was remarkably increased .The soil was stabilized after mulching by a mixture of organic materials (humus),  out-washed silt  and manure.

Mrs. Farah A.Ebraheem

Director of Coastal & Desertification Monitoring Dept.

Environment Public Authority

 

ENGLISH TRANSLATION BELOW

Estimados Drs. Ronald Vargas y Dan Pennock

Adjunto mi contribución a las Directrices Voluntarias para la Gestión Sostenible de los Suelos (DVGSS), esperando sea de alguna utilidad.

Agrego igual dos artículos en los que ya he remarcado para alectura rápida en color AMARILLO, el ¿qué es la química verde? pues la menciono en mis propuestas para el logro de la sostenibilidad.

Me fue dificil en estos días participar en línea, pero afortunadamente también dieron esta posibilidad.

Les menciono que fue MUY BUENO que den la opción de que el FORO se realizara en varios idiomas, pues el tener que traducir todo al inglés, dificulta el extenderse en propuestas y quizá estas no quedarían bien traducidas.

Gracias por su invitación a participar.

Cordialmente, Laura Bertha Reyes Sánchez

Dear Dr. Ronald Vargas and Dr. Dan Pennock,

Kindly find attached my contribution to the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (VGSSM). I hope you find it useful.

I am also enclosing two articles. For ease of reading I have highlighted in YELLOW the definition of green chemistry as I have mentioned this concept in my proposals to achieve sustainability.

Participating online was difficult for me these days but, luckily enough, there was an option.

Offering the possibility of participating in the FORUM using several languages has been VERY HELPFUL. Translating all the contributions into English hinders long proposals which might not be properly translated.

Thank you for your invitation to take part in this process.

Kind regards,

Dear Madam/Sir

We are responding to an invitation for contributions, to the online consultation for the development of the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management. As current Chairperson of Working Group F “Visual Soil Examination and Evaluation (VSEE)” of the International Soil Tillage Research Organisation (ISTRO), together with Lars Munkholm (Aarhus University Denmark (ISTRO Assistant Secretary General), we believe that the activities conducted by this group would be of great relevance to be included in section 3.9 of the document proposed.

The ISTRO Group F (VSEE) is formed by an international group of soil scientists, with different backgrounds, from various continents, who work together on the development and application of Visual Soil Evaluation methods. The activities of the group follow on from early meetings in Peronne France (2005), initiated by Tom Batey, David McKenzie and Hubert Boizard at the 2003 Brisbane ISTRO conference and in Flakkebjerg Denmark (organised by Lars Munkholm and Bruce Ball), which led to publication of a Soil & Tillage Research Special Issue: Applications of Visual Soil Evaluation, published in 2013, and the development of a new methodology to evaluate the subsoil structural quality (SubVESS procedure, Ball et al,  2015).

Recently, as a result of the activities of this group, a book was published by CABI, which synthesised the state of art of Visual Soil Methods: Visual Soil Evaluation: Realizing Potential Crop Production with Minimum Environmental Impact, edited by Bruce Ball and Lars Munkholm. This book, which describes the main methods for Visual Soil Evaluation (VSE) of soil structure and soil-related properties, is extensively illustrated so as to give clear visual images of the variation of soil quality. In the book VSE is placed in the context of future sustainable intensification of agriculture including factors of soil loss, resilience, climate change, scarcity of water and other resources, nutrient retention and increased risk of degradation. 

Currently we are editing a new special Issue for Soil and Tillage Research on the topic “Refinement and Potential of Visual Evaluation Methods and Soil Compaction Prevention Strategies”, which follows on from the VSEE group’s workshop, held in Maringá Brazil in 2014.

Most of the Visual Soil Evaluation methods covered by the group’s research and outputs are inexpensive, easily repeatable and can be used to access soil quality information in remote areas with limited infrastructure, as they do not require large or expensive equipment or laboratory analysis. The results from them can be obtained directly in the field, giving the user instant access to the result.

The group believes that the information regarding visual soil assessment contained in the Soil & Tillage Research special issues and the CABI book is highly relevant and that the inclusion of them in the text of the key documents and reference lists would be of benefit to the dissemination of the knowledge.

References

Ball, B.C. and Munkholm, L. R. (eds). Visual Soil Evaluation: Realising Potential Crop Production with Minimum Environmental Impact. CABI, Wallingford, UK, 2015. http://www.cabi.org/bookshop/book/9781780644707

Soil and Tillage Research, volume 127, Pages 1-100 (March 2013)

Special issue: Applications of Visual Soil Evaluation http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01671987/127

On behalf of the ISTRO Visual Soil Examination and Evaluation working group, I would like to reaffirm that we are available to provide further contributions towards the document. If you have any questions do not hesitate in contacting us.

Yours faithfully,

Rachel Guimarães

Researcher/Lecturer in Soil Physics

Federal University of Technology - Paraná

Agronomy Department

Via do Conhecimento, km 1 Pato Branco – PR, Brazil

CEP: 85503-390

+55-46-3220-2542

[email protected]

Thank you for opening up participation for input: (suggestions are in italic)

Suggestions

1.0  - Goal 2 "without maintenance of soil function":  without "rehabilitation"  and maintenance.....

                     " ensure stable or increasing production"   ensure "healthy",  stable ....

1.3-  Objectives: I strongly suggest that there should be a clause that identifies " disseminates information to small family farms "  either in stakeholder clause  as well as a separate clause that identifies, "climate change mitigation (Goal 15) that has disrupted food security"

2.1  Definition: Principle 3, include  "eradication of soil/food pollutants and contaminants such as chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides "  

Table 1.1:  Soil Formation: please insert the word "compost " and accumulation of organic and "biodegradable"

                 and "uncontaminated" organic matter.   

               Aesthetic and use the word "conservation" instead of preservation and insert cultural"heritage" landscape

                Refugia : Providing and "restoring" habitat

2.2  2)  please insert "compost" also

        page 7 :   the soil is " maintained fully as agricultural land  "

        page 8 :   Flow of nutrients within should include a highlighting of Goal 15,  

Biodiversity should be present in soil as this is what creates the complexity of natural microbial + nutritional additives, humus, aeration and tilth to make the flow of nutrients within the soil

Also : I believe that beginning of this statement is incorrect ; Our understanding of the relationships between biodiversity and specific soil functions is limited but the availability of a variety of new tools suggests that significant progress in this area may be imminent.  Given the significant public concerns about the possible linkage between pesticide use and biodiversity, a focus in this area is to draw attention of users to existing international codes for pesticide use.     

Please perform due diligence before remitting that statement

Page 10: Poor management : Misuse and allocation for other purposes : Competing uses such as building for tourism on prime agricultural lands.

(I will refrain from editorializing too much, but Bali now experiences a major water crisis due to this. All of this was projected and scientifically studies by academics, but it was "development at all costs".  Human rights have been violated: more that 65% of the indigenous people no longer have access to water.)

Page 11:  The area of current agricultural soils is maintained:

Zoning laws ,planning tools, build outs must be utilized, adhered to and legally followed.  Sprawl is continually fragmenting and degrading prime agricultural land and soil  Land trusts should be adopted; cooperation between public + private .

3.1  if better suited use the above suggestion: Governments and policy makers.....

3.4  Riparian buffers; and mangrove forests

3.8 : Guidelines for....   as well as Appendix  Pg 22 +table 23 : Should Identify "Contamination"  as chemicals. 

And why is there no mention of the potential GMO seeds and plants for contamination?

Because "contamination" can also be defined at areas taken over by invasive plants, Direct and Indirect Effects of Invasive Plants on Soil Chemistry and Ecosystem Function Jeffrey D. Weidenhamer & Ragan M. Callaway

4.0  higher rates of efficiency in the use of key inputs, including water, nutrients, pesticides, energy, land and labour: 

I strongly disagree with the inclusion of  portion of  2011 blueprint.  By including pesticides you are undermining the entire new voluntary recommendations (I have been an organic gardener/farmer for over 40 years) Look at your own 2013 report! ("Wake up before it's too late" UNCTAD)

Thank you for this invitation.

I am saddened and disappointed for the human species that all of these guidelines are "voluntary". Between water wars and food insecurity we'll all be at each other's throats within 25-50 years. I do not believe that technology will get us out of this one. Too many people.  Population: the basic root of all our problems. And of course, there is the binary aspect of humans/corporations: greed.

Sincerely,

Phiphi (Phyllis) Kaplan

ENGLISH TRANSLATION BELOW

Distinguidos Señores;

Muy agradecidos por darnos la oportunidad de participar en esta importante labor como es la redacción de la Guía Voluntaria para el Manejo Sostenible de Suelos del mundo.

Con relación al documento, nos parece muy completo, aunque debido a la gran variabilidad que existe entre las diferentes regiones, siempre habrá algún problema o recomendación que no esté incluida en la Guía.

Consideramos que la palabra “Voluntaria” es muy débil y que probablemente no tenga la fuerza necesaria para que los gobiernos municipales, departamentales y nacionales tomen decisiones para inducir a los usuarios a implementar prácticas de manejo sostenible del suelo.

La información que se encuentra en el capítulo 2, Bases Científicas para la Gestión Sostenible de Suelos, que incluye definiciones y conceptos contribuyen a un mejor entendimiento de la importancia del recurso suelo y el manejo sostenible, sin embargo consideramos que para darle mayor énfasis a la Directrices para la Gestión Sostenible del Suelo, este capítulo debería ser presentado posterior al capítulo 5 o bien en los anexos.

A continuación emitimos algunas sugerencias para las Directrices, con base a las características de nuestros suelos y las practicas más comunes de su uso:

1.    Directrices para la conservación de suelos agrícolas

• En los países en vías de desarrollo, es necesario contar con normas que regularicen el uso eficiente de suelos urbanos, con ello se evitaría el uso de suelos con potencial productivo. Debe ser de responsabilidad de los gobiernos Municipales la aprobación del cambio de usos de suelos agrícolas a urbanos, con un respaldo técnico realizado por universidades o centros de investigación mediante observación in situ y análisis físico químico de suelos.

• Los Gobiernos deben considerar la aptitud del suelo para autorizar la habilitación de nuevas tierras para uso agrícola, un ejemplo de ello es la habilitación de tierras con alta susceptibilidad a inundación o suelos con elevado contenido de arena.

2.    Directrices para la creación de una superficie estable del suelo a través del control de la erosión del suelo

• Sería conveniente incluir algunas prácticas tendientes a disminuir los riesgos de erosión, por ejemplo el uso de cortinas rompevientos, ya sean implantadas o de vegetación nativa, sobre todo en áreas de topografía plana con vientos fuertes por varios meses del año.

• En áreas de valles donde las pendientes son fuertes y las parcelas para producción agrícola son pequeñas, es necesario el uso de barreras vivas para evitar la erosión del suelo por escorrentía.

• Sería conveniente incluir en el documento sugerencias sobre normas legales que contemplen medidas coercitivas o de incentivo; en algunos casos sancionando el uso de suelo sin prácticas de manejo sostenible y en otros, que premien la producción en suelos manejados de forma sostenible.

3.    Directrices para el mantenimiento y mejora de una cubierta orgánica suficiente

• Pequeños productores agrícolas y pecuarios de zonas con baja precipitación, por la falta de alimento para sus animales durante la época de invierno, luego de la cosecha introducen al ganado para el consumo de los residuos, dejando al suelo desprovisto de todo material orgánico. Sería conveniente incluir alternativas viables para producir forraje, manteniendo la cubierta orgánica del suelo.

• Sería conveniente enfatizar que para obtener los beneficios de la siembra directa, es necesario realizar todas las prácticas (rotación de cultivos, cultivos de cobertura, fertilización) y no solamente la siembra con la maquina específica.

4.    Directrices para subsanar los desequilibrios de nutrientes

• Se sugiere adicionar la corrección de algunos desequilibrios de nutrientes como la relación invertida de Ca:Mg.

5.    Directrices para el mantenimiento o mejora de la biodiversidad del suelo

• Incluir prácticas para incrementar la población de microorganismos benéficos del suelo como el uso de inoculantes, micorrizas y promotores de crecimiento.

6.    Directrices para el mantenimiento o la mejora de las propiedades físicas del suelo

• En este punto no se tienen observaciones.

7.    Directrices para el uso eficiente del agua de riego y la minimización de la salinización del suelo

• Sería importante sugerir a los gobiernos municipales o departamentales para que en zonas bajas se considere realizar un plan nacional de drenaje. En nuestras condiciones, ocurre que el productor que cuenta con los recursos mejora el drenaje de su parcela pero afecta a sus vecinos, provocando frecuentes encharcamientos o inundaciones.

8.    Directrices para la neutralización de la contaminación del suelo

• En este punto no se tienen observaciones.

9.    Directrices para la creación y aplicación de la información de suelos

• Es común que diferentes instituciones realicen estudios detallados de suelos, identifiquen los principales problemas e investiguen y propongan diferentes prácticas para el manejo sostenible de los suelos. Sin embargo, gran parte de la información queda en las bibliotecas y no llega a los usuarios de la tierra. Es importante que en este documento se remarque la importancia de informar a los usuarios y en lo posible se haga un seguimiento de las prácticas que realizan los productores.

Reciban un cordial saludo del equipo de funcionarios de la Dirección de Investigación del Centro de Investigación Agrícola Tropical que también forma parte de la Sociedad Boliviana de la Ciencia del Suelo.

Dear Sir(s);

We appreciate the opportunity to participate in the important task of drafting the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management.

The document seems comprehensive. However, due to the high variability of the different regions, the Guidelines will always lack a specific issue or recommendation.  

We believe that the term “voluntary” has no binding force and probably won’t be vigorous enough for local, departmental and national governments to take measures encouraging the implementation of sustainable soil management practices.

The information included in Section 2, Scientific Basis for Sustainable Soil Management, features definitions and concepts contributing to a better understanding of the importance of soil resources and sustainable management. However, to place greater emphasis on the Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management, this chapter should go after chapter 5 or be included in the annexes.

Several suggestions for the Guidelines, based on the soil features and most common land use practices, are detailed below:

1.    Guidelines for the preservation of agricultural soils

• In developing countries, standards to regularise the efficient use of urban areas are required, avoiding in this way the use of potentially productive soils. Local governments should take responsibility for the approval of land-use change from agricultural to urban purposes, technically supported by universities or research centres with on-site observations and chemical and physical soil analyses.

• Governments should take soil suitability into consideration to authorise the granting of new land for agricultural use. For example, when granting flood-prone land or soils with high sand content.

2.    Guidelines for creation of a stable soil surface through control of soil erosion

• Including some practices to reduce erosion risks, such as the use of cultivated or natural windbreaks, particularly in flat areas lashed by strong winds throughout the year, would be advisable.

• In valleys where slopes are steep and agricultural plots are small, live barriers are necessary to prevent runoff and soil erosion.

• Including suggestions on legal regulations considering coercive or incentive measures would be advisable; in some cases, sanctioning non-sustainable soil use management practices and, in others, rewarding production in sustainably managed soils.

3.    Guidelines for maintenance and enhancement of a sufficient organic cover

• Due to food shortage during the winter season, small agricultural and livestock producers in rainfed areas feed their animals with post-harvest waste, leaving the soil with no organic material. Including feasible alternatives to produce fodder whilst maintaining the organic soil cover would be desirable.

• Stressing the need of conducting all practices (crop rotation, cover crops, fertilization), and not only sowing with specific machinery, to benefit from direct seeding would be advisable.

4.    Guidelines for addressing nutrient imbalance

• We suggest including a reference to the correction of some nutrient imbalances like the Ca: Mg ratio.

5.    Guideline for maintenance or enhancement of soil biodiversity

• We suggest including practices to increase the population of beneficial soil microorganisms like the use of inoculants, mycorrhiza and growth promoters.

6.    Guideline for maintenance or enhancement of soil physical properties

• We have no comments on this section.

7.    Guidelines for efficient use of irrigation water and minimization of soil salinization

• Suggesting local or departmental governments the implementation of a national drainage plan in lowland areas would be important. In our case, producers who have the resources to improve the plot drainage impair their neighbours, causing frequent flooding.

8.    Guidelines for neutralization of soil contamination

• We have no comments on this section.

9.    Guidelines for the creation and application of soil information

• Different institutions typically conduct detailed soil studies, identifying major issues and investigating and proposing different practices for sustainable land management. However, most of the information is stored in libraries and does not reach the farmers. Stressing the importance of informing the farmers and, if possible, monitoring their practices, is key.  

Best regards,

Team of officials of the Tropical Agricultural Centre Research Division (also part of the Bolivian Society of Soil Science)

ENGLISH TRANSLATION BELOW

En el documento adjunto, estamos enviando una carta de parte de la Sociedad Venezolana de la Ciencia del Suelo (SVCS), con los comentarios de un grupo de expertos de Venezuela sobre el Borrador Cero d la "Guías Voluntarias para el Manejo sostenible de los Suelos.

Desde la SVCS creemos que es muy importante la construcción de estas Guías y hemos consultado a 4 expertos en Física, Química, Biología y Conservación de Suelos; bajo la coordinación del Dr. Juan Comerma y mi persona, como presidente de la sociedad.

Esperamos que estos comentarios sean útiles para ser considerados en la elaboración final de las Guías.

Saludos cordiales

In the attached document, we are submitting a letter on behalf of the Venezuelan Society of Soil Science (known in Spanish as SVCS) featuring the comments shared by a group of Venezuelan experts on the Zero Draft of the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management.

The SVCS considers the drafting of these guidelines highly important. Coordinated by Dr. Juan Comerma and myself, as the chairman of the society, four experts in physics, chemistry, biology and soil conservation have been consulted.

We hope these comments are useful for the final drafting of the Guidelines.

Best regards

Most of developing countries are mainly concerning of self sufficiency of selected few crops at any cost. That is why most of developing countries are mainly concern about fertilizer subsidy program for poor farmer. as a result of these kinds of subsidy programs farmers tend to use very higher (few times of recommendations) amount of chemical fertilizer. Year by year they are experiencing reducing yield from their farm lands. Again they tend to use more fertilizer than previous. Finally these kinds of programs become huge political problems to the developing countries. unfortunately billion of dollars have spent to destroy the good soil? We have to think again about fertilizer subsidy program carefully otherwise we will lose our soil soon.