In addition to building the capacities of beneficiary countries on data management and mapping, the project aims to assess and strengthen their analytical capacities. In the Republic of the Sudan, the government identified ten laboratories belonging to the Agricultural Research Corporation, Ministry of Agriculture as beneficiaries to the project. From December 2021 to May 2022, the laboratories underwent an assessment of their capacities and needs that were summarized in a report making a distinction between those needs that can be addressed by the TCP RAB 3802 project and those needs that have to be addressed by a second project or directly by the government. From 26 to 30 June 2022, an in person training was organized in WadMedani, Sudan. The training was attended by 30 participants and consisted of lectures and practical sessions in the laboratory on the following topics:

• Implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the analysis of soil chemical and physical parameters;
• Chemicals management (reception date, opening date, etc.);
• Interpretation of soil results and provision of recommendation;
• QA/QC for soil analysis (calibration, internal and external proficiency test);
• Laboratory reports writing and update of laboratory analysis manuals; and
• Health and safety.

A video of the training is available:

• PART 1: https://youtu.be/kzcn47c2l74
• PART 2: https://youtu.be/eLBbldCDxpI
• PART 3: https://youtu.be/33CVsGwTXUI

This training was particularly important to overcome national differences in soil analysis between laboratories and to open the way to the establishment of the Sudanese Soil Laboratory Network (SUSOLAN) under the Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN) of the Global Soil Partnership, FAO. It also confirmed the need for the Sudanese government to invest on:

• the rehabilitation and/or enlarging the space of some beneficiary laboratories;
• the recruitment of technicians for the laboratories that outside Wad Meani Headquarter;
• the establishment of a national training programme and an exchange programmes at national and international academic institutions;
• the establishment and implementation of policies and regulations on laboratory’ management and laboratory’s waste management system, including the disposal of expired chemicals;
• the establishment of policies and regulations on the minimum data quality required for decision making;
• the issuing of permanent maintenance contracts for regular checking and repairing of laboratory instruments;
• the establishment of policies and regulations on health and safety; and
• the procurement and installation of health and safety equipment in laboratories.

 Not last, the government should increase the technical and financial support to the national reference laboratory for the country in GLOSOLAN, the Soil Analysis Laboratories Unit ( SALU-). This would allow it to properly and efficiently lead the harmonization of soil data in the country and to execute national training programmes and inter-laboratory comparison exercises.

Check out the Flickr photogallery

Related links

• Global Soil Partnership (GSP)
• GLOSOLAN
• SUSOLAN