Focal points
In July 2014, the GSP Plenary Assembly endorsed the establishment of GSP focal points to act as the main link between FAO Members and the Global Soil Partnership. Appointed by national authorities and the European Union, they facilitate communication and technical exchanges with the GSP Secretariat at the working level, share national priorities and developments, support the implementation of GSP activities, and help ensure that GSP information and opportunities reach the relevant institutions at national level.
The current list of focal points is provided below.
Afghanistan
Hamidullah Ahmadzai (Director for Soil Research)
Albania
Irfan Tarelli (Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Water Administration)
Algeria
Medjahed Saddek (Ministère de l'Agriculture)
Alternate: Abdelhakim Ouzzane (Algerian National Institute of Agronomic Research, INRAA)
Andorra
No representative listed
Angola
No representative listed
Antigua and Barbuda
Linroy Christian (Ministry of Agriculture)
Alternate: Maudvere Bradford (Ministry of Agriculture)
Argentina
Cecilia Vespasiano (Ministerio de Agroindustria)
Alternate: Mariano Laffaye (Ministerio de Agroindustria)
Armenia
Samvel Sahakyan (Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Armenia)
Australia
Sebastian Lang (Sustainable Agriculture Policy, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry)
Alternate: Kanika Singh (Sustainable Agriculture Policy, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry)
Austria
Andrea Spanischberger (Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management)
Azerbaijan
Ilhama Gadimova (Ministry of Agriculture)
Alternate: Firidun Taghiyev (Ministry of Agriculture)
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Jung, Kang-Ho (National Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology)
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Elenga Bolumbu Entanga Gaius (Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Sustainable Development)
Denmark
Mogens H. Greve (University of Aarhus)
Alternate: Ms. Marie Dam (Danish Agricultural Agency)
Djibouti
Mohamed Egueh Walieh (Laboratoire de Pédologie du CERD)
Dominica
Al-Mario Casimir (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue and Green Economy)
Alternate: Adisa Trotter (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue and Green Economy)
Dominican Republic
Milagros Decamps (Ministero De Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales)
Alternate: Dominga Polanco (Ministero De Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales)
Gabon
Ngadi Litadi Raphael (Ministère de l'agriculture, de l'élevage, de la pêche et de la sécurite alimentaire)
Alternates: Medang Meye, Emma Bernice Bouanga (Ministère de l'agriculture, de l'élevage, de la pêche et de la sécurite alimentaire)
Gambia
Abdou Rahman Jobe (Soil and Water Management Services, Ministry of Agriculture)
Georgia
Ekaterine Sanadze (Ministry of Agriculture)
Germany
Barbara Heinrich (Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture)
Ghana
Dr Edward Yeboah (CSIR, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research)
Greece
Dimitris Triantaconstantis (Institute of Soil and Water Resources)
Grenada
Allyson Haynes (Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment)
Guatemala
Sergio Rafael Lopez Salazar (Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentación, MAGA)
Alternates: Rovoham Mardoqueo Monzon Miranda and Manuel de Jesus Tum Canto (Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentación, MAGA)
Guinea
Aissatou Diallo (ministry of Agriculture)
Guinea-Bissau
Rui Néné Djata (Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Developement)
Guyana
Oudho Homenauth (National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute, NAREI)
Jamaica
Joan Brown Morrison (Agricultural Land Management Division)
Japan
Aihara Fuminori (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries)
Alternate: Urashima Yasufumi (National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences)
Jordan
Emad Al-Qudah (Ministry of Agriculture/Land and Irrigation Department)
Alternate: Bayan Al Faouri (Ministry of Agriculture/Land and Irrigation Department)
Madagascar
Hanitriniaina Voahangiarivelona Razafindrahanta (Ministère de l'Environnement et du Développement Durable - MEDD)
Alternate: Vonimirana Mbolatiana Rasolofonianina (Ministère de l'Environnement et du Développement Durable - MEDD)
Malawi
Alternate: Thomas Chigowo (Land Resources Conservation)
Malaysia
Rosazlin Abdullah (Soil Resource Management and Conservation Division, Department of Agriculture Malaysia)
Alternate: Ismail Bin Hashim (Soil Resource Management and Conservation Division, Department of Agriculture Malaysia)
Maldives
No representative listed
Mali
Dr DIAKITE Lamissa (Agence d'Aménagement des Terres et de Fourniture de l'Eau d'Irrigation (ATI))
Malta
No representative listed
Marshall Islands
Risa Kabua-Myazoe (Ministry of Resources and Development)
Mauritania
Sidi Ould Ely Menoum (Centre national de recherche agronomique et de développement agricole)
Mauritius
Ronald Cheong (MSIRI/MCIA - Mauritius Sugarcane Industry Research Institute)
Mexico
Elena Xochitl Ramírez Reivich (Directora General de Políticas Prospección y Cambio Climático)
Alternate: Mario Eduardo Pérez Hernández (Director de area)
Micronesia (Federated States of)
Menollen J Oswalt (Division of Agriculture, Department of Resources and Development)
Alternates: Marlyter P. Silbanuz and Marciano Imar (Division of Agriculture, Department of Resources and Development)
Monaco
No representative listed
Mongolia
Enkhtuya Bazarradnaa (Mongolian University of Life Sciences)
Montenegro
Rahela Pupovic (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Montenegro)
Morocco
Faouzi Bekkaoui (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique)
Alternate: Rachid Moussadek (Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique)
Mozambique
Momade Mamudo (Agricultural Research Institute of Mozambique | IIAM)
Myanmar
Dr Maw Maw Than (Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation)
Pakistan
Dr Sair Sarwar (Land Resources Research Institute (LRRI - NARC)
Palau
Trebkul Tellei (Bureau of Agriculture)
Panama
José Villareal (Instituto de Investigación Agropecuaria de Panamá)
Papua New Guinea
Francis Daink (Department of Agriculture and Livestock)
Paraguay
Ken Moriya (Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería)
Alternate: Arnulfo Encinas (Universidad Nacional de Asunción)
Peru
Ken Moriya (Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería)
Alternate: Arnulfo Encinas (Universidad Nacional de Asunción)
Philippines
Pablo M. Montalla (Bureau of Soils and Water Management)
Alternate: Gina P. Nilo (Bureau of Soils and Water Management)
Poland
Dr Grzegorz Siebielec (Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation, State Research Institute)
Portugal
Rogério Paulo Lima Ferreira (DGADR Director General - Agricultura e Desenvolvimento Rural)
Alternate: Filipa Horta Osório (General Direction to Agriculture and Rural Development of the Ministry of Agriculture and Sea)
Saint Kitts and Nevis
No representative listed
Saint Lucia
Kwesi Goddard
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
No representative listed
Samoa
Pelenato Fonoti (Manager Agriculture Research Division, Scientific Research Organization of Samoa Occupation)
San Marino
No representative listed
Sao Tome and Principe
Antónia dos Santos Neto (Center for Agronomic and Technological Research CIAT)
Saudi Arabia
Dr. Hussain Fahad Al Ajmi (Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture MEWA)
Senegal
Mamadou Amadou (Institut national de Pédologie) - Alternate: Macoumba Loum (Institut National de Pédologie)
Serbia
Marija Dragovic (Ministry of Environmental Protection)
Alternate: Sanja Djordjevid (Ministry of Environmental Protection)
Seychelles
No representative listed
Sierra Leone
Abdulrahman Kamara (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security)
Singapore
Varughese Philip (Plant health laboratory department)
Slovakia
Jaroslava Sobocká (Soil Sience and Conservation Research Institute of the Slovak National Agriculture and Food centre)
Alternate: Beata Houskova (Slovak National Agriculture and Food centre of the Soil Sience and Conservation Research Institute)
Slovenia
Petra Božič (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food)
Alternate: Petra Karo Bester (Slovenian Environment Agency)
Solomon Islands
No representative listed
Somalia
Eng. Mohamed Mohamud Abdi (Ministry of Agriculture)
South Africa
Mampholo Ramakgwale Klaas (Land Use and Soil Management (LUSM))
South Sudan
Moses Mogga Mikaya (National Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry Cooperatives and Rural Development)
Spain
No representative listed
Sri Lanka
W.M.U.K Rathnayake (Natural Resources Management Center)
Sudan
Nuha Abdalla Mohamed Khamis (Land and Water Research Centre)
Suriname
Maitrie Jagroep (Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries)
Sweden
Erik Karltun (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences)
Switzerland
Thomas Drobnik (Département fédéral de l'environnement, des transports, de l'énergie et de la communication DETEC, Office fédéral de l’environnement OFEV, Division Sols et Biotechnologie)
Alternate: Andrea Ulrich (Départment fédéral de l’économie, de la formation et de la recherche DEFR, Office fédéral de l’agriculture OFAG, Secteur Systèmes agro-environnementaux et éléments fertilisants)
Syrian Arab Republic
Dr. Muhammad Manhal Alzoubi (General Commission of Scientifics Agriculture Research (GCSAR))
Vanuatu
No representative listed
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
Rubén Darío Molina (Ministerio del Poder Popular para Relaciones Exteriores)
Alternate: José Gregorio Osorio Castillo (Ministerio del Poder Popular para la Agricultura Productiva y Tierras)
Viet Nam
Tran Minh Tien (Soils and Fertilizers Research Institute SFRI Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences)
Bahamas
Kenneth Richardson (Department of Agriculture)
Bahrain
Rasha Ahmed Al Sherooqi (International Organizations Office)
Alternate: Ali Hameed Al Shabani (Water Resources)
Bangladesh
Mr. Md. Altaf Hossain (Ministry of Agriculture, Soil Resource Development Institute - SRDI)
Barbados
No representative listed
Belarus
Aliaksandr Chervan (Department of Soil Science and Geoinformatic Systems)
Belgium
Martien Swerts (Government of Flanders - Environment, Nature and Energy department; Land and Soil Protection, Subsoil; Natural Resources Division)
Belize
Luis Hernandez (Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise)
Benin
Agueh S. Gilbert Damien (Ministère de l'Agriculture, de l'élevage et de la pêche, Directeur de la Qualité des Innovations et de la Formation Entrepreneuriale)
Bhutan
Tashi Wangdi (National Soils Service Center, NSSC - Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests)
Alternate: Suraj Chhetri (National Soils Service Center, NSSC - Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests)
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
Ramiro José Guerrero Penaranda (Ministerio de Desarrollo Rural y Tierras)
Alternate: Favio Vidal Mamani Mollo (Ministerio de Desarrollo Rural y Tierras)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
No representative listed
Botswana
Chebukani Mpapho Fanani (Ministry of Agriculture)
Alternate: Leonardi Matlhodi (Ministry of Agriculture)
Brazil
Taisa Passoni Marcal (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Alternate: Gustavo dos Santos Goretti (Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock)
Brunei Darussalam
No representative listed
Bulgaria
Irena D. Atanassova (Institute of Soil science, agrotechnologies and Plant Protection)
Alternate: Svetla Simeonova Rousseva (Institute of Soil Science, agrotechnologies and Plant Protection)
Burkina Faso
Yameogo Poulouma Louis (Bureau National des Sols, BUNASOLS)
Burundi
No representative listed
Ecuador
Manuel Carrillo (Instituto Nacional Autonomo de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, INIAP)
Alternate: Estephany Valencia (Viceministro de Desarrollo Productivo Agropecuario)
Egypt
Alaa El-Bably (Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation)
El Salvador
Faustino Portillo (Centro Nacional de tecnologia Agropecuaria y Forestal, CENTA)
Alternate: Ana Yaneth Valencia Rodriguez (Centro NacIonal de tecnologia Agropecuaria y Forestal, CENTA)
Equatorial Guinea
Don Clemente Popo Lobede (Ministerio de agricultura, ganaderia, bosques y medio ambiente)
Eritrea
Dermas Sultan (National Agricultural Research Institute, NARI)
Estonia
Alar Astover (Ministry of Rural Affairs)
Eswatini
Sikhumbuzo Maseko (Ministry of Agriculture)
Alternate: Musa M. Mbingo (Ministry of Agriculture)
Ethiopia
Fanosie Mekonen (Ministry of Agriculture)
European Union
Mirco Barbero (European Commission - DG ENV)
Alternate: Arwyn Jones (European Commission DG JRC)
Haiti
Jean Serge Antoine (Ministère de l'Agriculture)
Honduras
Jose Adonay Melara Enamorado (Dirección de Ciencia y tecnología Agropecuaria (DICTA) de la Secretaria y ganaderia)
Hungary
Katalin Berényi-Üveges (National Food Chain Safety Office Directorate of Plant Protection, Soil Conservation and Agri-environment)
Alternate: Ilona Szabados (Ministry of Agriculture, Food Chain Control Department)
Kazakhstan
Murat Temirzhanov (Ministry of Agriculture)
Kenya
Anne Muriuki (Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization| KALRO)
Alternate: David Golicha (Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization| KALRO)
Kiribati
Kabuati Nakabuta (Ministry of Agriculture)
Kuwait
No representative listed
Kyrgyzstan
Jigitali Jumaliev (Ministry of Agriculture and Melioration)
Alternate: Ermek Baybagyshov (National Kyrgyz Agrarian University)
Namibia
Ella Shiningwayamwe (Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry)
Alternate: Josephath Kutuahupira (Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry)
Nauru
Marissa Derime Cook (Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Environment - CIE)
Nepal
Chandra Prasad Risal (Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development)
Niue
Poi Okesenel (Ministry of Natural Resources)
Netherlands (Kingdom of the)
Simkje Kruiderink (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature)
New Zealand
Sam Carrick (Landcare Research)
Alternate: Jenny Reid (Ministry for Primary Industries)
Nicaragua
No representative listed
Niger
Addam Kiari Saidou (Institut National de la recherche Agronomique du Niger, INRAN)
Nigeria
Victor O. Chude (Soil Science Society of Nigeria)
North Macedonia
Dusko Mukaetov (Agricultural Institute of Macedonia)
Norway
Line Marie Meinert Rød (Ministry of Agriculture and Food)
Qatar
No representative listed
Tajikistan
Abirov Alanarar (State agency for plant protection and chemicalisation of agriculture)
Alternate: Mr Hukmatullo Ahmadov (Academy of Agricultural Sciences)
Tanzania
Geophrey Kajiru (Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives)
Thailand
Dr. Pitayakon Limthong (Soil and Fertilizer Society of Thailand)
Timor-Leste
Juiberto dos Santos (Ministry of Agriculutre and Fisheries)
Alternate: Rita da Costa Soares (Ministry of Agriculutre and Fisheries)
Togo
Koffi Gbélékor Afawoubo (Laboratoire Sol, Végétaux et eaux de l'ITRA)
Tonga
Vunivesi Minoneti (MAFF)
Alternate: Viliami Toalei Manu (CEO MAFF)
Trinidad and Tobago
Gabrielle de Souza (Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries)
Tunisia
Leila Ben Daya (DG/ACTA)
Turkey
Dr. Sevinç Madenoğlu (Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock)
Alternate: Ms Mine Serdaroglu (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry)
Turkmenistan
Gowshut Shadurdyev (Ministry of agriculture of Turkmenistan, Department of land resources)
Tuvalu
No representative listed
Yemen
Mohamed Hezam Al-Mashreki (National centre for agricultural researches and livestock/ Ministry of agriculture
Cabo Verde
Isaurinda dos Santos Baptista Costa (Instituto Nacionai de Investigação e Desenvolvimento Agrário, INIDA)
Alternate: Jacques de Pina Tavares (Instituto Nacionai de Investigação e Desenvolvimento Agrário, INIDA)
Cambodia
Seng Vang (Department of Agricultural Land Resources Management, General Directorate of Agriculture, GDA)
Cameroon
Ngomeni Arlende Fiore (Institut de Recherche Agricole pour le développement, IRAD)
Canada
Bob Turnock (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)
Central African Republic
Jean-Arsène Yamale (Gestion et Mise en Valeur des Terres, Ministère de l'agriculture)
Chad
Naitormbaide Michel (Centre régional de Recherche Agronomique pour la zone Soudanienne)
Alternate: Mbaikoubou Melika (Centre régional de Recherche Agronomique pour la zone Soudanienne)
Chile
Rodrigo Osorio Hermosilla (División de Protección de Recursos Naturales Renovales)
Alternate: Jacqueline Espinoza Oyarzún (Ministero de Agricultura)
China
Xiaoqi Yuan (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs)
Colombia
Ricardo Siachoque (Instituto Geográfico Agustin Codazzi - IGAC)
Alternate: Alexander Rodríguez Romero (Unidad de Planificación Rural Agropecuaria - UPRA)
Comoros
No representative listed
Congo
Daniel Zéphirin Obambi (Centre National d'Etudes des Sols)
Cook Islands
William Wigmore (Ministry of Agriculture)
Costa Rica
Jorge Esteban Segura Guzmán (Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería)
Côte d'Ivoire
Kouassi Bredoumy Soumaila Traore (Productions et sécurité alimentaire)
Alternate: Anon Bertin (productison vivrieres et de la secuirte alimentaire)
Croatia
Brigita Popović (Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences)
Alternate: Vladimir Zebec (Osijek Institute for Agroecology and Environmental Protection)
Cuba
Dagoberto Rodríguez Lozano (Instituto de Suelos del Ministerio de la Agricultura)
Alternate: Olegario Muñiz Ugarte (Instituto de Suelos del Ministerio de la Agricultura)
Cyprus
Andreas Mousouliotis (Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment)
Czechia
Radim Vácha (VUMOP – Research Institute for Soil and Water Conservation)
Fiji
Rozelene Deo (SRO Chemistry, Ministry of Agriculture & Water Ways)
Alternate: Shalendra Prasad (Director Research, Ministry of Agriculture & Water Ways)
Finland
Aleksi Lehtonen (Natural Resources Institute Finland, Luke)
Alternate: Jaakko Nippala (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry)
France
Frank Da Ros (Secrétariat général des affaires européennes)
Iceland
Jóhann Þórsson (Land and Forest Iceland)
India
S K Chaudhari (Indian Council of Agricultural Research)
Indonesia
Rima Purnamayani (Center for Soil and Fertilizer Instrument Standard Testing, BSIP)
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Naser Davatgar (Ministry of Agriculture Jahad)
Alternate: Alireza Esmaili Falak (Ministry of Agriculture Jahad)
Iraq
Waleed Muhammed Miklef Al-Shafie (Ministry of Agriculture)
Ireland
Niall Ryan (Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)
Israel
Alon Maor (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development)
Italy
Filiberto Altobelli (Center for Policy and Bioeconomy - Council for Agricultural Research and Economics - CREA)
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Nivong Sipaseuth (Department of Agricultural Land Management | Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry)
Latvia
Dace Guste (Ministry of Agriculture)
Lebanon
Fatima Beydoun (Ministry of Agriculture)
Alternate: Ralph Zoghaib (Ministry of Agriculture)
Lesotho
Maseeiso Hlongwane (Department of Soil and Water Conservation, Ministry of Forestry and Land Reclamation)
Alternate: Refuoe Boose (Department of Soil and Water Conservation, Ministry of Forestry and Land Reclamation)
Liberia
Victor H. Sumo (Central Agriculture Research Institute, CARI)
Libya
Ali Abdulla Madi (Minister of Agriculture and Livestock)
Lithuania
No representative listed
Luxembourg
Simone Marx (Ministère de l'Agriculture, de la Viticulture et du Développement rural)
Oman
Hamad Al-Thuhli (Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries)
Republic of Korea
Seung-Oh Hur (Rural Development Administration, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences)
Republic of Moldova
Iurie Rozloga (Soil improvement laboratory of the soil research institute N. Dimo)
Alternate: Rodica Sirbu (Soil improvement laboratory of the soil research institute N. Dimo)
Romania
No representative listed
Russian Federation
Victoria Bocharova (Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation)
Rwanda
Jules Rutebuka (Rwanda Agriculture Board) (Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board - RAB)
Uganda
Freddie Kabango (Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries)Ukraine
Prof. Sviatoslav Baliuk (National Scientific Center «Institute for Soil Science and Agrochemistry Research named after O.N. Sokolovsky»)
Alternate: Mr Levin Arkadiy (NSC ISSAR)
United Arab Emirates
No representative listed
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
David Smedley (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, DEFRA)
United States of America
Mr David Lindbo (United States Department of Agriculture (USDA))
Uruguay
Martin Mattos (Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries - MGAP)
Alternate: Ana Laura Moreira
Uzbekistan
Shovkat Kholmatov (Center of Agrochemistry and Soil Science)
Zambia
Stalin Sichinga (Zambia Agriculture Research Institute / Ministry of Agriculture)
Zimbabwe
Emmanuel Chikwari (Chemistry and Soil Research Institute)