Nowadays, land and soil degradation are recognized as one of the major global challenges threatening our planet.  There are many different human threats and pressures affecting soil resources in Eurasia, threatening food security in the region and having a major impact on climate change due to the presence of carbon-rich soils in many of these countries that are suffering unsustainable management, thus releasing CO₂ into the atmosphere. The Eurasian region is characterized by large areas devoted to agriculture, which has a great impact on soil health. In many countries, irrigation with low-quality water has produced secondary salinization; the use of heavy machinery has led to severe compaction of otherwise highly fertile soils; ploughing often in favour of slopes is causing severe soil erosion processes; practices involving leaving the soil surface bare in regions highly susceptible to wind erosion; and the application of agrochemicals to try to curb this loss of fertility, often in inadequate quantities and at inadequate intervals has led to a worrying loss of this valuable resource.

Additionally, the lack of updated research in the field of soil erosion, absence of stable soil monitoring systems as well as complicated institutional structures, slow down the development of approaches aimed to combat land degradation at the national and regional levels. Thus, despite numerous emergent activities, soil resources are still seen as a secondary priority in the region. However, voices have emerged to halt soil degradation and to promote sustainable soil management in Eurasia.

At the #PRECOP25 meeting in San José, Costa Rica from 8-10 October 2019, Eduardo Mansur, Director of the FAO Land and Water Division, stressed the importance of restoring degraded lands, and that peasants should be part of the climate solution through financial mechanisms such as RECSOIL (Recarbonization of Global Soils). He also recalled that "FAO launched the Global Soil Organic Carbon map in 2017" and that the "IPCC in its latest report on land highlighted the importance of agriculture and soils".

The FAO’s Global Soil Partnership and the Eurasian Soil Partnership (EASP), in collaboration with the Eurasian Center for Food Security (ECFS), are pleased to announce a call for short-term soil research projects.

Within the Framework of the Global Soil Information System (GLOSIS), The Global Soil Partnership is supporting countries to establish national soil information systems. From the 16 to the 18 September, the GSP secretariat visited Armenian institutions to facilitate the establishment of the Armenian soil information system (ArSIS) through engaging the stakeholders in the process, analyzing the available data and national capacities.

Unos 200 promotores y promotoras del departamento de Estelí, participaron del Tercer Encuentro Nacional de Suelos y Agua, denominado "En Armonía con nuestros suelos y agua, aseguramos nuestra vida". Organizado por la Alianza Mundial por el Suelo, Capítulo Nicaragua, con el objetivo de desarrollar acciones claves para el manejo sostenible y adecuado en los suelos.

Iván Felipe León Ayala, representante de la FAO en Nicaragua dijo que, “todos trabajamos en un fin común y ese fin común es el suelo; hoy por hoy el suelo es un recurso muy importante para lograr la sostenibilidad de la producción agropecuaria y la seguridad alimentaria nutricional”.

Asimismo, mencionó que Nicaragua a través de la AMS, ha venido avanzando en varias acciones para relevar el tema del suelo en la agenda nacional desde el año 2015 “Aquí se ha logrado tener espacios de diálogo técnico con el legislativo, la Asamblea Nacional, ahí venimos trabajando con varias iniciativas en torno a intercambios técnicos que permitan fortalecer capacidades para luego desarrollar en marcos normativos”, agregó Ayala.