Significant progress in building soil analytical capacity in the Caribbean
Laboratory staff from eight Caribbean countries gathered at the University of West Indies (UWI) in Trinidad and Tobago for a week of intense training on the determination of soil chemical, physical and biological parameters using the standard operating procedures (SOPs) of the Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN).

The FAO-Global Soil Partnership (GSP) is currently collaborating with the Partnership initiative for Sustainable Land Management to implement the Caribbean Small Island Developing States (CSIDS) - SOILCARE project Phase 1. CSIDS-SOILCARE is the first soil-centered multi-country project in the Caribbean and is funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF).
As part of the project’s capacity development program, a training session took place at the facilities of the University of the West Indies (UWI) – St. Augustine Campus (Trinidad and Tobago) last December, to strengthen analytical capacities of the Caribbean Soil Laboratory Network (CarSoLaN).
About 25 participants from the eight project countries (Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, and Saint Lucia) received training on key Standard Operational Procedures (SOPs) for soil analysis, on quality control and quality assurance, and on health and safety protocols. The sessions also addressed quality control and assurance, health and safety protocols, and proficiency in using newly acquired laboratory equipment provided through the project earlier in 2024.
The training facilitated by Dr Gaius Eudoxie, Professor of Soil Science UWI, and Mr Filippo Benedetti from the GSP Secretariat on behalf of GLOSOLAN, started with a field session on soil sampling methodologies. This was followed by theoretical and practical sessions focused on the analysis of key soil properties, namely: soil organic carbon, pH, electrical conductivity, cation exchange capacity, available micronutrients, particle size distribution, bulk density, and soil respiration rate. Finally, and in order to address all the critical aspects of data production and interpretation, the analytical results were used to formulate management recommendations under different scenarios.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Trevor Thompson, CSIDS-SOILCARE Project Manager, highlighted the scope of the project and the key role of soil laboratories in generating data essential for climate-resilient food systems and sustainable landscape restoration. ‘With this new capacity, countries can now access timely data, helping farmers optimize productivity, combat soil degradation, and strengthen food security’ he stated, highlighting the fruitful collaboration between PISLM and FAO/GSP.
The event marked a significant step forward in empowering Caribbean soil laboratories Participants are now equipped to implement harmonized methodologies, ensuring the precision,accuracy repeatability and comparability of soil data across countries.