Launch of the Belgian Soil Laboratory Network | BESOLAN
The Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN) was established in 2017 to build and strengthen the capacity of laboratories in soil analysis and to respond to the need for harmonizing soil analytical data. Harmonization of methods, units, data and information is critical to (1) provide reliable and comparable information between countries and projects; (2) allow the generation of new harmonized soil data sets; and (3) support evidence-based decision making for sustainable soil management. In order to downscale its activities and better adapt them to the local context, the Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN)is structured in regional and national soil laboratory networks. National Soil Laboratory Networks are established by grouping together soil laboratories operating in the same country, under the leadership of the National Reference Laboratory.
Following the successful establishment of national soil laboratory networks in other countries around the world, on March 21, the Belgian Soil Laboratory Network (BESOLAN) was launched through a virtual event attended by 37 stakeholders including laboratory managers and representatives of the regional Belgian governments (the Walloon region, the Brussels region and the Flemish region). The event was opened by Ms Caon Lucrezia from the FAO’s Global Soil Partnership (GSP), who recalled the importance of establishing National Soil Laboratory Networks to downscale the activities of the GLOSOLAN and to bring Belgian laboratories’ needs and priorities to the attention of GLOSOLAN. This will allow GLOSOLAN and GSP/FAO to include and address these requests in their global and regional strategies and work plans. Ms. Caon closed by thanking VITO and the Axe Echanges Eau-Sol-Plantes, GxABT, Liège University for leading the establishment of BESOLAN.
The event counted on the participation of Ms. Martien Swerts, Belgian focal point to the GSP, Mr. Elh Moustapha Abdourahaman, vice-chair of GLOSOLAN, and Ms. Marija Romić, chair of EUROSOLAN, contextualizing the launch of BESOLAN at the global and regional level. Ms. Clémence Mariage, Mr. Gilles Colinet and Mr. Kristof Tirez from the organizing institutions, introduced participants to BESOLAN in terms of wet chemistry and soil spectroscopy activities. Referring to soil physical measurements, Ms. Aurore Degré from ULiège - Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech made the link between BESOLAN and the Soil Program on Hydro-Physics (SoPhie). Ultimately, participants were invited to spread the voice on BESOLAN in order to motivate laboratories to join this new Network and to unite their efforts on the harmonization of soil laboratory data and methods of analysis at the national level. Finally, the event was rounded off by the BESOLAN webpage, which has been significantly updated to mark the launch of the Network and to keep it fully up-to-date with information and references.