Fotoğraf:©FAO

Ankara -The technical closure meeting for the 'Strengthening Agricultural Infrastructure Services with the context of Global Soil Partnership' project was held in Ankara on 26 November 2019. The project was conducted by partnership of FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

A “national strategy” was determined as part of the project. It was aimed at developing a “national policy” to ensure sustainable use of soil resources through building the capacity of relevant institutions, establishing a coordination mechanism, and providing recommendations for soil data management and information system. This plan was called Sustainable Soil Management National Action Plan. It was drafted as a strategy and policy development document by partnership of FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. National and international experts as well as all stakeholders worked on it jointly under the General Directorate of Agricultural Reform. The aim was to introduce, raise awareness about and put into effect the principles and practices of sustainable soil management nationwide within the framework of the ''Global Convention on Soil'' and taking into account the global considerations regarding agriculture and food.
The Strategy and Action Plan is aimed at establishing a common legal framework to ensure that soils remain healthy for the future generations and to support ecosystems that economic activities depend on, by addressing all threats against soil comprehensively and consistently.
The closure meeting started with the opening remarks of Director-General of Agricultural Reform Hasan Özlü. Özlü emphasized that the priorities in achieving sustainable development goals are sustainable and effective use of soil resources as well as sustainable land management planning. Hasan Özlü said, “To this end, it is crucial to establish a 'Soil Information System', which includes the definition and mapping of available data sources as well as creating geographic databases by use of new technologies.”
Hasan Özlü also spoke about the book ''Global Soil Partnershiop and Information System of Turkey'', which was published as part of the project. He stated that the book provides information on the soils of Turkey and also aims at raising awareness on the basic principles of sustainable soil management. Özlü emphasized that the book will help develop policies, which will ensure the effective and sustainable use of soils and increase agricultural productivity in Turkey. He added that it would also contribute to global programs related to climate change, soil degradation, and ecosystem services.
FAO's Subregional Coordinator for Central Asia and FAO Representative for Turkey Viorel Gutu spoke next. Gutu stated that he is honored to have the closure meeting of the project, which started in March 2018. He indicated that the Sustainable Soil Management National Action Plan is a reference document as well as a road map. He said that it shows aims, goals, actions, and activities that could be realized within a 5-year period. He added that it provides guidance for decision-makers, researchers, academic circles, NGOs, and other soil stakeholders to establish strategies, policies, and practices to support sustainable soil production.
The meeting ended with the closing remarks of FAO Programme Officer Sheikh Ahaduzzaman. Ahaduzzaman emphasized that, as FAO and other stakeholders, they came a long way from the initiation of the project and achieved very helpful results. He underlined that FAO's national and international consultants, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and the General Directorate of Agricultural Reform formed an excellent technical team, which worked hard on capacity-building. He ended his speech by thanking all stakeholders for their devoted efforts throughout the implementation process.