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.

The eighth meeting of the Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN) was held from 11 to 13 November 2024 at FAO headquarters in Rome (Italy). The hybrid event brought together 26 in-person attendees and approximately 500 online participants. It included members of the GLOSOLAN steering committee, representatives of the GLOSOLAN-Spec (soil spectroscopy) working group, and the Chairs of the regional soil laboratory networks who attended in person. Meanwhile, other participants joined virtually. This event marked the network's first in-person gathering since 2019, following disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The network, established in 2017, now counts around 1 200 registered laboratories in over 160 countries. The event was a significant milestone for the network, enabling the GLOSOLAN and GLOSOLAN-Spec steering committees to have side sessions before and after the plenary sessions. These sessions focused on translating the network’s ambitious work plan for 2025 into practice.

According to the latest soil survey data, conducted from 2017 to 2021, by the government of Turkmenistan, 61 percent of the total irrigated land area in Turkmenistan consists of non-saline and weakly saline soils, 26 percent consists of moderately saline soils, and 13 percent consists of strongly saline soils. 

The Caroni area in western Trinidad faces major agricultural challenges. The soils have poor structure, high density, and limited drainage, leading to frequent flooding and the proliferation of plant pests and diseases. Additionally, the naturally low pH restricts nutrient availability, increasing reliance on chemical fertilizers.

The report was presented at the International Soil and Water Forum 2024 in Bangkok

Bangkok – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has released its first major global assessment of salt-affected soils in 50 years. The report shows that nearly 1.4 billion hectares of land (just over 10 percent of the total global land area) are already impacted by salinity, with an additional one billion hectares at risk due to the climate crisis and human mismanagement.