LATSOLAN Workshop | Pathways to precision in soil analysis: advancing soil laboratories in Latin America and the Caribbean | 8 - 11 Aprile, Santiago - Chillán, Chile

The Latin American Soil Laboratory Network (LATSOLAN) was established in 2018 in Mexico. Its main objective was to unite all soil testing laboratories across Central America, Latin America and the Caribbean. At present, LATSOLAN comprises 230 soil analysis institutions in 23 countries. This makes it the most extensive regional network of soil analysis laboratories within GLOSOLAN (Global Soil Laboratory Network).

Webcast ENGLISH | SPANISH

After four years of virtual meetings made necessary by the Covid-19 pandemic, LATSOLAN members have expressed the desire to return to face-to-face meetings. This was especially emphasised at the 6th LATSOLAN meeting, held in November 2023, where a return to in-person meetings is essential to facilitate the exchange of country capabilities and highlight common needs. These discussions are essential to the development of the network's new work plan for the coming years.

April 8 Santiago de Chile – Ministry of Agriculture - Edificio Moneda Bicentenario Hybrid session, interpretation available
Time	Item	Speakers
8:30 – 9:00 AM	Registration
9:00 – 9:40 AM	Opening and welcome remarks	Mr. Mario Lubetkin, Assistant Director-General, Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean (video message) H.E. Esteban Valenzuela Van Treek, Minister of Agriculture – TBC Mr. José Guajardo, Director of the Agriculture and Livestock Service – TBC Mr. Carlos Saavedra Rubilar, Rector Universidad de Concepción – TBC Mr. Lifeng Li, Director of the Land and Water Division at FAO (virtually) Ms. Miriam Ostinelli, GLOSOLAN Steering Committee Ms. Sol Ortiz García, Chair of the Latin America and the Caribbean Soil Partnership (virtually)
9:40 – 9:50 AM	Endorsement of the agenda and group picture	Mr. Filippo Benedetti, GSP Secretariat
9:50 – 10:20 AM	Presentation of the FAO activities and projects in the region	Ms. Ana Posas Guevara, FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean
10:20 – 10:45 AM	GSP ongoing laboratory projects and activities in the region	Ms. Carolina Olivera Sanchez, GSP Secretariat – Coordinator of the Latin American Soil Partnership (virtually)
10:45 – 11:00 AM	Coffee break
11:00 – 11:45 AM	Updates from the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) and the Latin American and Caribbean Soil Partnership (LACS)	Mr. Yuxin Tong, Land and Water officer, GSP Secretariat (virtually) Ms. Sol Ortiz García, Chair of the Latin America and the Caribbean Soil Partnership
11:45 AM – 12:00 PM	Welcome from the Chilean Laboratory Network	Ms. Yasna Tapia, vice-Chair of the Chilean Soil Science Society
12:00 – 1:00 PM	Presentation of countries representatives	Representatives of the National Reference Laboratories in GLOSOLAN Moderator: Ms. Diana Maria Delgado Londoño, LATSOLAN vice-Chair
1:00 – 1:15 PM	Wrap up and closing remarks	Mr. Rodrigo Osorio Hermosilla, Chilean Focal Point at the GSP
1:15 – 2:00 PM	Lunch
2:30 – 8:00 PM	Bus transfer from Santiago de Chile to Chillán – Technical tour	Mr. Fabio Corradini, Chilean Soil Laboratory Network (RENALASCH)
April 9 Chillán - Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Concepción (UDEC), Hybrid session, interpretation available
9:00 – 9:30 AM	Welcome from the Regional Authorities	Mr. Óscar Crisóstomo, Governor of Ñuble Region -TBC Mr. Carlos Saavedra, Rector of the Universidad de Concepción -TBC Mr. Osvaldo Alcayaga, Regional Director of the Agriculture and Livestock Service -TBC
9:30 – 10:15 AM	Updates from GLOSOLAN and LATSOLAN	Ms. Miriam Ostinelli, GLOSOLAN Steering Committee Ms. María de los Ángeles Sepúlveda, LATSOLAN Chair
10:15 – 10:45 AM	GLOSOLAN standard operating procedures (SOPs) and the joint working groups with the GSP international networks on salt affected soils (INSAS) and soil biodiversity (NETSOB)	Mr. Filippo Benedetti, GSP Secretariat
10:45 – 11:00 AM	Coffee break
11:00 – 11:45 AM	Examples of National Soil Laboratory Networks (NASOLANs) established in the region: Chile, Mexico, CARSLAN (SOILCARE project)	Ms. Margarita Briceño, Steering Committee Chilean Soil Laboratory Network (RENALASCH) Mr. Armando Guerrero Peña, Mexican Soil Laboratory Network (MEXSOLAN) Mr. David Friedericks, National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute, Guyana
	Coffee break
11:45 AM – 1:00 PM	Lab tour at INIA	Mr. Juan Hirzel, INIA – Chile
1:00 – 2:00 PM	Lunch
2:00 – 2:45 PM	Report of the LATSOLAN participation to the GLOSOLAN global PT and launch of the LATSOLAN PT 2024	Ms. María Cristina Suárez, Laboratorio de Suelos, Dominican Republic Mr. Filippo Benedetti, GSP Secretariat
2:45 – 3:00 PM	Coffee break
3:00 – 4:30 PM	Quality control in the laboratory: calibration, preparation of internal reference material	Ms. Miriam Ostinelli, GLOSOLAN Steering Committee
4:30 – 6:00	Soil meso- and macro-Fauna observation	Mr. George Brown, EMPBRAPA – Brazil
April 10 – Plenary session I Chillán - Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Concepción (UDEC) In-person session for the Latin American countries (Spanish language)
9:00 – 10:00 AM	Laboratory equipment calibration	Ms. Miriam Ostinelli, GLOSOLAN Steering Committee
10:00 – 10:45 AM	Health and safety in the laboratory	Mr. Daniel Carreira, INTA – Argentina
10:45 – 11:00 AM	Coffee break
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM	Critical points in the determination of soil pH, electrical conductivity and soil organic carbon using GLOSOLAN SOPs	Ms. Diana Delgado,Dirección de Laboratorio e Innovación Ambiental - Colombia
12:00 – 1:00 PM	Visit to the spectroscopy laboratory	Mr. Leonardo Ramírez-López, GLOSOLAN trainer
1:00 – 2:00 PM	Lunch
April 10 – Parallel session I Chillán - Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Concepción (UDEC) In-person session for the Latin American countries (Spanish language)
2:00 - 6:00 PM	Practical sessions in the laboratory (soil biology) using GLOSOLAN SOPs: · Microbial biomass · Respiration rate · Soil enzymes	Ms. Erick Zagal, UDEC – Chile Ms. Katherine Rebolledo, UDEC – Chile Mr. George Brown, EMPBRAPA – Brazil
3:30 – 3:45	Coffee break
April 10 – Parallel session II Chillán - Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Concepción (UDEC) In-person session for the Latin American countries (Spanish language)
2:00 - 6:00 PM	Practical sessions in the laboratory (soil physics) using GLOSOLAN SOPs: · Soil bulk density · Soil texture · Water retention (pF) curve	Mr. Marco Sandoval, UDEC – Chile Mr. Manuel Zapata, UDEC – Chile Ms. Diana Delgado,Dirección de Laboratorio e Innovación Ambiental - Colombia
7:30 PM	Group dinner and social gathering
April 11 – Parallel session III Chillán - Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Concepción (UDEC) In-person session for the Latin American countries (Spanish language)
9:00 – 9:30 AM	GLOSOLAN initiative on spectroscopy (GLOSOLAN-Spec) and launch of the Spanish version of the primer on soil analysis using visible and near-infrared (vis-NIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy	Mr. Filippo Benedetti, GSP Secretariat
9:30 – 11:00 AM	Soil spectroscopy in the Latin American region: opportunities and challenges. Development of national spectral libraries and estimation services.	Mr. Leonardo Ramírez-López, GLOSOLAN trainer
11:00 – 11:15 AM	Coffee break
April 11 – Plenary session II Chillán - Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Concepción (UDEC) In-person session for the Latin American countries (Spanish language)
11:15 AM – 12:15 PM	Progress of visNIR soil spectral libraries and sample preparation for soil spectral measurement	Ms. Maria de los Ángeles Sepúlveda, UDEC – Chile Mr. Leonardo Ramírez-López, GLOSOLAN trainer
12:15 – 1:00 PM	Development of a national soil spectral library: the case of Chile	Mr. Erick Zagal, UDEC – Chile Mr. Leonardo Ramírez-López, GLOSOLAN trainer
1:00 – 2:00 PM	Lunch
April 11 – Plenary session III Chillán - Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Concepción (UDEC) In-person session for the all participants
2:00 – 4:00 PM	Closing discussion and the role of the National Reference Laboratories	Mr. Filippo Benedetti, GSP Secretariat
4:00 – 5:00 PM	Closing ceremony and distribution of the certificates of participation	Ms. Miriam Ostinelli, GLOSOLAN Steering Committee Ms. Maria de los Ángeles Sepúlveda, UDEC - Chile

Parallel sessions for the Caribbean countries (English language)
April 10 Chillán - Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Concepción (UDEC)
9:00 – 10:00 AM	Health and safety in the laboratory	Mr. Filippo Benedetti, GSP Secretariat
10:00 – 10:45 AM	Calibration of laboratory equipment	Mr. Daniel Vidal Perez, Brazil
10:45 – 11:00 AM	Coffee break
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM	Laboratory management, samples preparation and storage	Ms. Miriam Ostinelli, GLOSOLAN Steering Committee
1:00 – 2:00 PM	Lunch
2:00 – 6:00 PM	Determination of: · Soil pH · Electrical conductivity · Soil organic carbon (Walkley and Black)	Mr. Jorge Etchevers, Mexico Ms. Miriam Ostinelli, GLOSOLAN Steering Committee
April 11 Chillán - Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Concepción (UDEC)
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM	Determination of: · Texture (Hydrometer method) · Bulk density · Soil respiration rate	Ms. Miriam Ostinelli, GLOSOLAN Steering Committee Mr. Daniel Vidal Perez, Brazil

Date

08 Apr 2024

- 11 Apr 2024

External URL

https://www.fao.org/global-soil-partnership/glosolan-old/regional-soil-laboratory-networks/latsolan/en/

Registration Form