South America consolidates its Regional Soil Partnership
FAO and members of the South American Soil Partnership work together to create a five-year plan to contribute to the recovery of soils in the subregion.
Workshop report (in spanish)
March 6, 2015, Santiago, Chile - Strengthening the management structure of the South American Soil Partnership was the main outcome of a workshop organized by FAO, members of the Global Soil Partnership, international experts and representatives from ten South American countries, held in the framework of the International Year of Soils 2015.
For four days at the FAO Regional Office in Santiago, members of the South American Soil Partnership established their Managment Committee and Secretariat, product of a joint effort with the focal points for soil from South American countries and representatives of National Soil Societies.
"The consolidation of this Regional Partnership will enable countries to unite their efforts to protect, recover and manage their soils, an essential step towards eradicating hunger" said Ronald Vargas, FAO Officer for Soils and Secretary of the Global Soil Partnership.
In addition, FAO and the Partnership outlined the main points of a five-year regional plan that seeks to address the main problems affecting soil in the subregion, which will be formalized during the International Year of Soils 2015.
According to FAO, the soils of the region are the basis for its food production, and are essential to ensure food security for all its inhabitants. Soil is a nonrenewable resource: generating only a couple of centimeters of soil can take hundreds of years.
"The soils of South America not only feed the region, they also play a key role in global food security, as the region is a major food exporter," said Vargas, noting that degradation affects, to varying degrees, a large part of agricultural soils in South America.
Challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean
Soil erosion affects the entire continent. More than half of the territory in some countries is severely damaged due to poor management and use of natural resources. According to FAO, 14% of global land degradation occurs in Latin America and the Caribbean, affecting 150 million people. In Mesoamerica this phenomen affect to 26% of the territory.
Low fertility is a problem that affects a large part of the soils of the region: about 50% of soils in Latin America and the Caribbean suffer from nutrient deficiencies. In total, about 20% of soils in the region are arid, while 10% have limited drainage.
South American Soil Partnership
The South American Soil Partnership forms part of the Global Soil Partnership, which seeks to promote the sustainable use and management of soils to ensure food and nutritional security, adaptation to climate change, the provision of environmental services and sustainable development.
The South American Soil Partnership facilitates linkages between national and local programs and activities of soil and land management to strengthen joint ventures and develop synergies.
Presentations of the workshop
Day 1:
- Alianza Mundial por el Suelo - Ronald Vargas
- GTIS: Grupo Técnico Intergubernamental de Suelos - Maria de Lourdes Mendonça-Santos
- Estado del recurso suelo en Suramérica y experiencias sobre su manejo sostenible - Juan Comerma
- Retos del manejo de suelos en Sudamérica - Gustavo Bernal
- Introducción al Sistema de Información de Suelos de América Latina - SISLAC (Parte I) - Mayesse Da Silva
- Suelos: las oportunidades de colaboración y cooperación técnica del IICA - Alejandra Sarquis
- Experiencias de la Cooperación Alemana para el Desarrollo-GIZ en cooperación con el Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería-MAG para el Manejo Sostenible de Suelos, en el Paraguay - Néstor Espínola - Óscar López
- Estado, prioridades y necesidades para el manejo sostenible del suelo en Argentina - Carla Pascale
- Estado, prioridades y necesidades para el manejo sostenible del suelo en Argentina - Orlando Achu
- Estado, prioridades y necesidades para el manejo sostenible del suelo en Chile - Germán Ruiz
- Estado, prioridades y necesidades para el manejo sostenible del suelo en Colombia - Carolina Olivera
Day 2:
- Situación, prioridades y necesidades para el manejo sostenible de los suelos en Paraguay - Ken Moriya
- Estado, prioridades y necesidades para el manejo sostenible del suelo en Ecuador - Soraya Alvarado
- Estado, prioridades y necesidades para el manejo sostenible del suelo en el Perú - Sonia Silva
- Estado, prioridades y necesidades para el manejo sostenible del suelo en Uruguay - Mariana Hill
- Estado, prioridades y necesidades para el manejo sostenible del suelo en Venezuela - José Gregorio Álvarez
- La Alianza Regional por el Suelo para Centro América, México y El Caribe: cómo surgimos y dónde estamos - Olegario Muñiz Ugarte
Day 3:
- Propuesta de implementación del plan de acción - Juan Comerma
- SISLAC II - Introducción al Sistema de Información de Suelos de Latinoamérica (Parte II) - Cartografía digital de suelos, el caso del Carbono - Maria de Lourdes Mendonça-Santos
More information (in Spanish)