FAO's Global Soil Partnership kicks start a country-driven process to map soil nutrients and soil nutrient budgets at all scales
Soil nutrient mapping and monitoring to build resilient agri-food systems
Rapidly increasing fertilizer prices as well as growing food insecurity driven by the global COVID-19 pandemic, current conflicts as well as intensifying climatic patterns have exacerbated the need for informed decision-making based on digital soil mapping and monitoring. Soil maps capture the spatial variability of our soil resources to identify intervention hotspots and guide localized management decisions.
ON A MISSION TO MAP SOIL NUTRIENTS AND TACKLE NUTRIENT IMBALANCES
Continuing with its country-driven approach to map our global soils, the FAO’s Global Soil Partnership (GSP) and its members are working on the Global Soil Nutrient and Nutrient Budget Maps (GSNmap) to understand the global spatial distribution of soil nutrients and soil nutrient budgets. Soil nutrient budgets are an important indicator of nutrient flows that can signal an excess or insufficiency in the soil.
The GSNmap will allow for the identification of areas presenting soil nutrient depletion and/or excesses associated with less nutritious food crops and potentially harmful losses to the environment. Thus, this timely product will be essential for managing soils in a sustainable and data-driven way to reduce the misuse of fertilizers and assure sufficient, safe and nutritious food for all. For instance, the GSNmap will bridge the gap between soil information and farmer needs by providing the basis for locally relevant soil fertility and fertilizer recommendations to increase the fertilizer use efficiency.
The GSNmap products will be developed following a two phase approach:
- Phase I: development of soil nutrient and associated soil property maps;
- Phase II: quantification, analysis, projections of nutrient budgets for agricultural land use systems at national, regional and global scale.
The GSP has been promoting the appropriate use of synthetic and organic fertilizers adapted to soil and crop needs since the adoption of the International Code of Conduct for the Sustainable Use and Management of Fertilizers. The GSNmap also representes are direct outcome of the recent Global Symposium on Soils for Nutrition (Soils, where food begin, 26-29 July, 2022), specifically to address Theme I: Available information and knowledge gaps to undertake monitoring and mapping of soil nutrients are identified. During the symposium the discussions focused on the latest science and policies on soil nutrient management, and the best tools to map and monitor soil nutrients.
FAO’S GSP EXPERIENCE IN MAPPING AND MODELING SOILS
Building upon the successful launch of four global soil property maps, including the Global Soil Organic Carbon Map, the Global Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration Potential Map, the Global Map of Salt-affected Soils and the Global Black Soil Distribution Map, FAO's GSP has perfected its country-driven approach over the years.
This process focuses on leveraging, enhancing and promoting national expertise. Unlike previous top-down global assessments, countries are supported in generating meaningful soil information themselves, ensuring both the sovereignty of national data and the effective bridging of global data gaps.
FAO’s GSP over the last decade, has brought about unprecedented progress in terms of supporting countries in the establishment of national soil information systems (NSIS) to be connected to GloSIS – the Global Soil Information System. Through the successful launch of seven NSIS and four country-driven global soil maps, the GSP is highly experienced in implementing projects linked to soil information, from designing sampling campaigns to training national experts in state-of-the-art mapping and modelling techniques. One hundred twenty-two countries form part of the GSP’s International Network of Soil Information Institutions (INSII) and are involved over the entire workflow, from concept development to final endorsement of the global maps. With its global outreach, its direct work with governments, and its consideration of local expertise and needs, the GSP has proven proficient at overcoming soil data gaps and fragmentation in a uniquely participatory way.
CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT AS THE MAIN DRIVER OF SUCCESS
To date, the GSP, has reached more than 1200 national experts from 120 countries with more than 60 training sessions and supported countries in the production of high quality data products focusing on key soil threats, the potential of soil resources to address the impacts of the climate crisis, and combating food insecurity.