Soils, Food Security and Sustainable Land Management

Soils are key to sustaining life on Earth. Erosion and sealing threaten this essential resource, which is non-renewable in human time-scales. Soils are local and at the very same time sustainable land management is one of the major global issues for sustainable development in general and food security specifically.

The Tutzing conference is a further step in the process the Global Soil Forum is stimulating to enhance progress in the transition from unsustainable soils and land management into sustainable use.

The UN Open Working Group of the General Assembly on Sustainable Development Goals has issued its proposal for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This proposal will be the main basis for integrating the sustainable development goals into the post-2015 development agenda that will be adopted in September 2015. Goal 15 is directly related to protect, restore and promote the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems and to halt and reverse land degradation. Goal 2 calls for the achievement of food security and promotion of sustainable agriculture. Goal 17 focuses on strengthening means of implementation and revitalizing global partnership for sustainable development.

The Tutzing conference will focus on the possible means of implementation for the SDGs, including the enabling environment, related to soils and sustainable land management at all levels of governance. Monitoring, accountability, and reporting of the sustainable use of soils and land management will be addressed. In addition, a set of actions (road map) to enhance and facilitate implementation (at different levels) will be developed. Experiences in soil protection measures and land rehabilitation as well as good governance in this field and the role of civil society will be discussed.

All interested stakeholders in soils, food security and sustainable land management are invited to come to Tutzing at the Lake of Starnberg, Germany to debate those issues and next steps. Representatives from all levels of government, NGOs, agriculture and other sector of economy, politics and international bodies, scientists, private sector representatives as well as people active in raising soil awareness, take your chance to network and disseminate experiences. We welcome you in Tutzing, at the Lake of Starnberg, German