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Global Soil Partnership

RECSOIL implementation in Costa Rica

Project overview

Phase VI – Implementation and Monitoring

Number of participating farmersProject area (hectares)Annual SOC sequestration potential (tCO2e)
471 2532 185

 

Target area for scaling up: 400 farmers and 14 000 hectares

Main crops: Dairy (livestock, cattle) and coffee

Soil threats addressed

SSM practices implemented
  • Soil erosion
  • Soil compaction
  • Nutrient imbalances
  • SOC/soil organic matter loss
  • Soil organic cover (e.g. cover cropping and organic mulch)
  • Crop diversification (e.g. crop rotation and intercropping)
  • Organic matter additions (e.g. manure additions, green manure, compost application and residue management)
  • Integrated nutrient management (e.g. fertilizer management, mineral fertilization and fertigation)
  • Erosion control (e.g. terracing, shelterbelts, hedges and buffer strips) 
  • Irrigation management (e.g. drip irrigation, hand-moved sprinkler and permanent sprinkler) 
  • Water management (e.g. water harvesting, drainage, land shaping and levelling and soil moisture assessment) 
  • Grazing management (e.g. improved pasture management, grazing exclusion and rotational grazing, and pastoralism)
  • Integrated systems (e.g. agroforestry, sylvopastoral systems, syntropic agriculture, permaculture, agropisciculture and saline agriculture)
  • Farming approaches (e.g. regenerative agriculture, precision agriculture, family agriculture and organic agriculture) 

 

Soil analysis

Number of samples takenSoil indicators analysed and standard operating procedures (SOPs) used
360
  • Total carbon (C): dry combustion
  • Total nitrogen (N): Kjeldahl method
  • Soil respiration: titration
  • Bulk density: cylinder method
  • pH: pH meter
  • Electrical conductivity (EC): conductimeter
  • Percentage carbon (C): calculation
  • Percentage N: calculation
  • Boron (B)
  • Sulphur (S)
  • Cation exchange capacity (CEC): sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K) and calcium (Ca) – atomic adsorption
  • Bases
  • Ammonium (N-NH4+): colorimeter
  • Nitrate (N-NO3-): colorimeter

 


The following training sessions were conducted:

RECSOIL: Introduction to the process and main soil threats and RECSOIL technical training: stratification of the project area, definition of sampling design and density were held virtually in Spanish, 27–31 March 2023. Participants were trained on the RECSOIL tools and methodology.

State of Soil Health: FAO initiatives and the Global Soil Partnership in Costa Rica was held in person in Spanish with 76 participants, 24 April 2023. Participants were introduced to soil health considerations in Costa Rica and to RECSOIL and the Global Soil Doctors Programme.

Soil Doctors: training of trainers was held in person in Spanish with 31 participants, 24 April 2023. Participants were trained on how to equip farmers with the capacity to evaluate and address the presence of soil threats.

RECSOIL Baseline Determinations was held in person in Spanish with 30 participants, 25 April 2023. Participants were trained on how to design a sampling plan using spatial data and analyse soil according to the RECSOIL methodology.

Representative Environments and Practices was held in person in Spanish, 26 April 2023. Participants engaged in identification of main soil threats and SSM interventions for the RECSOIL pilot project.

RECSOIL baseline feedback workshop was held in person in Spanish, 26 February to 2 March 2024. Technicians and project stakeholders gathered to review baseline results and finalize SSM practices for implementation. Photo gallery | article.

Annual RECSOIL feedback workshop was held in person in Spanish, 2–7 December 2024. Thirty-eight stakeholders gathered to discuss lessons learned from one year of SSM practice implementation under the RECSOIL initiative, identifying best practices for scaling up in neighbouring areas as well as areas for improvement within the initiative.  

Implementing institutions


News

How the RECSOIL initiative is driving change in Costa Rica
03/04/2024
The Recarbonization of Global Agricultural Soils, known as the RECSOIL initiative, driven by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and its the Global Soil Partnership (GSP),...