The fight against soil erosion

15/05/2019

Soil erosion poses a major threat to global food security and to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). On the occasion of the Global Symposium on Soil Erosion (15−17 May 2019), have a look at some key publications showcasing the Organization’s interventions and innovations in the field of soil erosion and land management.

  • Soil erosion: The greatest challenge for sustainable soil management
    According to the paper, there are three main levers available to increase adoption of soil control measures: enhanced extension leading to voluntary adoption; regulation coupled with effective enforcement, and economic incentives.
  • Soil loss atlas of Malawi
    This atlas builds a comprehensive picture of soils in Malawi by examining different types of soil loss and their drivers across the 27 districts of Malawi.
  • Status of the World’s Soil Resources 2015
    This report provides a benchmark for periodical assessment and reporting of soil functions and overall soil health at global and regional levels.
  • Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management
    These guidelines provide technical and policy recommendations on how sustainable soil management can be achieved. The successful implementation of these guidelines should pave the way to boosting soil health
  • Revised World Soil Charter
    Member countries unanimously endorsed the new World Soil Charter as a vehicle to promote and institutionalize sustainable soil management at all levels at the 39th FAO Conference
  • Soil pollution: A hidden reality
    This book reports on soil pollution and explains how to manage and remediate polluted soils. It includes risk assessment approaches and suggests changes to agronomic practices.
  • Soil organic carbon mapping cookbook − Second edition
    This edition provides methodologies for producing soil organic carbon maps, preparing local soil data, compiling and pre-processing ancillary spatial data sets, upscaling, and carrying out uncertainty assessments.
  • Use of 137cs for soil erosion assessment
    This publication describes a promising technique that uses traces of nuclear activity to measure soil loss.

Further reading