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Global Soil Partnership(GSP)
Context:
GSP’s 12th Plenary Assembly commenced with the goal of improving and maintaining health of 50% of world’s soils by 2030, focusing on 3Rs: reduce, re-use, and renew.
Global Soil Partnership
- Founded in 2012, the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) is a globally recognized mechanism that works towards global soil health and sustainability.
- Its mission is to position soils in the Global Agenda to promote sustainable soil management.
- It aims to enforce the 1982 World Soil Charter and urge decision-makers to recognize soils’ crucial role in food security and combating climate change.
- It is hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
- Objective: Improve soil governance and ensure productive soils for:
- Food security, Climate change adaptation and mitigation and Sustainable development.
Key Initiatives of Global Soil Partnership (GSP):
- Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS): Aimed at creating a resilient food system through promotion of diverse, nutritious, and climate-adapted crops grown in healthy, fertile soils.
- Soil Mapping for Resilient Agrifood Systems (SoilFER): Under the VACS initiative, FAO is implementing SoilFER in Central America and African countries.
- Aims to unearth valuable information from soils to guide policy making and fertiliser recommendations both at national and field scale.
- Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN): quality certificate for carbon analytical results on soil samples.
Indian initiatives to enhance soil health:
- Soil Health Card Scheme: Provides farmers with soil health cards containing information on soil nutrient levels and recommendations for appropriate fertilisation.
- National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA): Promotes sustainable agriculture practices, including soil health management, to improve productivity and resilience.
- Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY): Encourages organic farming methods to improve soil health and reduce chemical inputs.
- Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY): Focuses on enhancing water use efficiency in agriculture, thereby reducing soil degradation due to water stress.
- Soil Health Management (SHM) Scheme: Aims to promote balanced use of fertilisers and improve soil fertility through integrated nutrient management.