Context

Soils are finite, non-renewable resources that are critical for plant growth, food production and the provision of essential ecosystem services such as water filtration, carbon sequestration and climate regulation. They also provide cultural and aesthetic benefits. However, soils are increasingly under pressure from climate change, competing land uses and degradation. Around 60 percent of human-induced land degradation occurs on agricultural lands, threatening food security and sustainable development.

The Global Soil Partnership (GSP) is a multi-stakeholder voluntary initiative, established in 2012 by Members of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to address these challenges by fostering a strong global partnership that builds on existing initiatives and institutions. The GSP promotes sustainable soil management and raises awareness of the vital role of soils in supporting food security, healthy ecosystems and human well-being.

The GSP promotes science-based knowledge exchange and the sharing of soil information and data, with a particular focus on soil surveys, monitoring and information systems. It supports technical cooperation and policy development to address soil challenges across different regions and soil types, taking into account their specific characteristics, potential and limitations, and supporting science-based decision-making for the sustainable management of soil resources.

By strengthening capacities at local, national and regional levels, the GSP supports the development of the technical expertise and institutional arrangements needed for sustainable soil management. It also collaborates with multilateral initiatives to promote scientific exchange, avoid duplication of efforts and integrate soils into broader environmental and development policies. Through global initiatives such as World Soil Day, the GSP raises awareness of the importance of soils and encourages action to protect and sustainably manage this vital resource.

The mandate of the GSP is to improve governance of the limited soil resources of the planet in order to guarantee healthy and productive soils for a food secure world, as well as support other essential ecosystem services, in accordance with the sovereign right of each State over its natural resources.

The GSP is a voluntary initiative and does not create any legally binding rights or obligations for its partners or for any other entity under domestic or international law.