The RECSOIL initiative, led by the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), is making significant strides in advancing soil health and mitigating climate change. Focused on soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration, the programme positions Costa Rica as a key leader in this global effort, with active participation from stakeholders such as the Dos Pinos Farmer Cooperative, ICAFE (Instituto del Café de Costa Rica), FONAFIFO (Fondo Nacional de Financiamiento Forestal ), INTA (Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria), UCR (Universidad de Costa Rica), UNA (Universidad Nacional), UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), and MAG (Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock ). The engagement of dairy and coffee farmers highlights the collective commitment to transforming agricultural practices to improve soil health and help mitigate climate change.

PHOTOGALLERY

Belgium recently hosted a two-week intensive training on soil and groundwater pollution, a key step in an ambitious international effort to restore Ukraine’s military-affected farmland. Running from November 26 to December 6, 2024, the project "Restoring Livelihoods and Revitalizing Rural Communities Affected by Mines and Explosive Remnants of War in Ukraine" is part of a four-year initiative led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), with funding from Canada.

FAO and its GSP would like to invite you to apply for a leadership role in the International Network on Soil Biodiversity (NETSOB) as we seek Vice-Chairs for three key working groups:

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).

As the impacts of conflict pose increasing risks to Ukraine's agricultural soils, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), together with the World Food Programme (WFP), have joined forces through the "Restoring Livelihoods and Revitalizing Rural Communities through Mine Action" programme. The four- year initiative aims to survey damages related to land warfare on farmland, prioritize mine action assistance needs, provide technical support for returning land to production, and reduce the need for humanitarian aid assistance.