Foro Global sobre Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (Foro FSN)

Dear FSN-moderator,

I attach for your consideration some comments on the VGSSM.

Best regards,

Ian

Ian Hannam PhD

Adjunct Associate Professor

Australian Centre for Agriculture and Law

University of New England, Armidale 2351 NSW, Australia

IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law

Chair Specialist Group, Sustainable Use of Soil and Desertification

Dear Colleagues,

In addition to my previous message I suggest to consult and refer in the review of the guidelines the attached FAO Policy Support Guidelines for the Promotion of Sustainable Production Intensi­cation and Ecosystem Services, particularly the last chapters with the practical guidelines, which include specific recommendations for soil management, including compaction, input application and irrigation.

In any way, a coherence should exist between the new voluntary guidelines and these previously published FAO policy guidelines.

With best regards,

Theo

Dr. Theodor Friedrich

Representante en Cuba

Organización de las Naciones Unidas

para la Alimentación y la Agricultura

Calle 154 y 3ra, #301, Rpto. Náutico, Playa

La Habana, Cuba

Dear colleagues,

I have gone through the voluntary guidelines – I have chosen to work on the English version, hence my comments in English. Attached the document with my suggested changes in track change mode inserted in the text. In general I think this is a very important long overdue exercise for FAO – congratulations. In the substance, I have to criticise that the document is still written from a point of view “before sustainable intensification”, i.e. with an agricultural paradigm accepting soil tillage as necessary practice and soil degradation as unavoidable consequence.

If we are serious about sustainable soil management, this is not acceptable. It is scientifically proven, that any kind of mechanical soil disturbance (tillage) applied in a regular way leads to soil degradation at rates very much higher than the natural soil formation processes. Therefore, only with strict no-till approach a truly sustainable soil management will be possible. This should be clearly stated.

The representation of such no-till systems, as characterized by conservation agriculture, in the end of the document, is still full of prejudices from sources with limited practical CA experience. For the problems mentioned there is in the meantime sufficient literature available confirming feasible solutions to these problems. With this in mind, the literature list should be extended and the last chapter might be rewritten, reflecting the experiences from actually implemented CA systems around the world. References such as the FAO 2008 soil health workshop report should be included in the document along with other books on CA, published in the recent past.

I am copying this comment also to Amir Kassam, moderator of the CA-CoP, for further inputs. I hope, these comments and contributions are found useful and will be taken up.

With best regards,

Theo

Dr. Theodor Friedrich

Representante en Cuba

Organización de las Naciones Unidas

para la Alimentación y la Agricultura

Calle 154 y 3ra, #301, Rpto. Náutico, Playa

La Habana, Cuba

Dear Colleagues,

Thank you for the Draft of VGSSM.

My comment :

In page 2 on Goal2  , after ...soil functions .... add "and the proper assessment and management of socio-ecological production landscapes at local level".

Thank you,

Best regards,

Hijaba Ykhanbai,

National Project Coordinator,

FAO project GCP/MON/008/GFF "Mainstreaming biodiversity conservation, SFM and carbon sink enhancement into Mongolia's productive forest landscapes" project

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia,

Bayangol district, 2nd khoroo,

Chingunjav street,

State owned bldg. II

Dear colleagues,

Please find my comments to the Zero Draft in the form of tracked changes in the attached file. Thank you for the important work.

Kind regards,

Pieter Ploeg

founder Summer of Soil & Common Soil

Msc in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability

Dear ITPS and GSP secretariat

Thank you for taking this initiative of the voluntary guidelines for sustainable soil management, with soils being an essential global ecological good that should be judiciously utilized.

Therefore please find some suggested text recommendations with track changes.

I look forward to the advancement of this document.

Please do not hesitate to contact me for questions of additional information.

Prem

Dear Moderator,

As a start, here is a recent article I wrote that has not been published but is aimed at focusing would-be no-tillers on what is required to make no-tillage most effective.

I applaud the objectives of your forum because there is so much “woolly” thinking and so many sub-standard practices around at present that anyone starting out could be excused for becoming totally confused.

All of the statements made in my article are backable by solid science, but I will be interested in your opinion as to whether or not this is the sort of material you are seeking in a less popular press form.

My CV and publications list are also attached if it helps.

Kind regards

John Baker

Dear Friends,

Please find attached my comments to the Zero Draft on  Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management

Best regards

José Luis Rubio

Vice Chair of the European Soil Bureau Network - ESBN (JRC, EC)

Immediate Past President of the European Society for Soil Conservation - ESSC

Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación- CIDE

(CSIC,Universitat de Valencia, Generalitat Valenciana)

CIDE Web: http://www.uv.es/cide

ESSC Web: http://www.essc.sk

Personal Web: http://www.uv.es/~jlrubio

Observations to Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management

General comments

The Zero Draft is a good Document underlining most important aspects to be consider for general Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management. The task is difficult owing to the enormous variety of soil type and conditions, crops, management, environmental situations and socio cultural background. I like the emphasis on soil biological aspects to enhance soil functions, including of course soil productivity, and the provision of ecosystem services. I lack more considerations on the management of drylands

Answers to the five questions submitted:

Question 1.Generally yes but also it should be considered, between others:

a) The need to include land use planning and the need to adapt land use to land agroecological capacity

b) Restoration of degraded land

Question 2. Dry land management and combating desertification strategies and measures are not included. Desertification risk is one of the most important problems worldwide with serious ecological, economic and social consequences that deserves better consideration and appoaches

One specific aspect not included: the need to eliminate or drastically reducing burning of stubble and plant residues

Qustion 3. Yes, but more emphasis on the mitigation capacity of soil in relation to climate change should be more highlighted

Question 4. If they are really implemented a great advance in the sustainable soil management will be achieved

Question 5. Besides the mentioned aspects in combating desertification, the Document is weak in  urban and periurban soil aspects (urban orchards, urban soils, sealing,..) which are  important and emerging subject

Some other comments on the Zero Draft text

• The wording of Goal 15/ 15.3 (pg 2) should be changed. The present text say: “By 2030, combat desertification, and restore degraded land….” It’s give the wrong and misleading impression that we should wait until 2030 to start combating desertification and the other indicated topics ¡¡¡¡. The new wording should indicated the message that the efforts into combating desertification…. will reach a satisfactory level of accomplishment by 2030, for example
• The same is applicable to the wording of paragraph Goal 2/2.4. The message should be to indicate to start now to meet all this important objectives
• In pg 3, in the second point of the scope, I do not like the differentiating reference to “technical and biological aspects”. I propose : “technical and biotechnical aspects”
• In pg 3, in the fifth point of the scope, the reference to the report on The Status of the World Soil Resources creates some points of doubts because, and just as one example of confusion, in the mentioned Report, and surprisingly, there is not any reference to desertification as a soil problem
• The title of the document Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management seems to consider “Soil” in its wider range of use and conditions. A long the text, the references are exclusively for agricultural soils. Of course this is the main focus of the Document in the context of food security and the others related objectives (nutrition…) but in my opinion some references to other related soil uses influencing food security like agroforestry, pastures (only a mention in pg13 on grazing land), agronomy,.. even urban soils,.. should be at least mentioned as general consideration in some adequate place in the Document.
• In pg 8,in the paragraph on “The consequences of excess nutrient…”, a mention to the impacts of excess of nitrogen fertilizers in subsurface waters and aquifers, should be included
• In pg 9 paragraph on “The soil efficiently captures precipitation….” A mention to the benefits of adequate soil and water conservation measures and practices, mainly in step land, should be included. The new approaches on bioengineering soil and water conservation should be highlighted
• In pg 11 paragraph on “The area of current agricultural….” and pg 12 paragraph 3.1, a mention to the need to incorporate permeable surfaces on urban an periurban areas should be indicated
•  In pg 17 besides the mentioned disadvantage of conservation agriculture others negative aspects should be indicated such as the increased reliance on herbicides which can originated water contamination and the requirement of new machinery and new technological input and capital.  It should be promoted new and  more ecological use of the soil by improving its biological component and promoting agroecological functions and services of the land but the Document should carefully avoid  any connotation of endorsing private commercial business

• Direct seeding method  Requires new machinery with new technology; input capital may cause financial strain on farmers

Hello!!  A few comments and / or clarifications on the draft.

1. Page 2. The current state of soil degradation was examined……  where was it examined?
2. Page 5. Table 1.1 Soil regulation, I don’t get the clear meaning
3. Page 8. First bullet.  I think the addition of the term “soil aggregation” might be more specific because OM aggregates soil particles.
4. Page 10. 2nd bullet point.  Is it related to fragipan?
5. Page 13. 2nd bullet point.  Construction of mini-catchment-  I don’t get the meaning how we could do that.
6. Page 13. 3rd bullet point-  enough growing plants- does this mean increase in biomass or something else.
7. Page 15. 3rd bullet-  rising ground water tables- I think we need to mention the location

Yoga

Yoganath ADIKARI (PhD)

Forestry Officer, Forest Protective Functions

Soil & Water Conservation

Global Forest Resources Assessment

FAO Forestry Department

Viale delle Terme di Caracalla

Rome 00153, Italy