United Nations Global Compact yesterday launched the principles for sustainable soil management during the twelfth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in the Turkish capital Ankara.
The six-point soil management principles include protecting soil from physical, chemical and biological degradation, limiting erosion and avoiding deforestation, restoring soil on degraded, stranded and marginal lands, maintaining soil-based ecosystem services, ensuring water availability and quality; enhancing soil productivity according to its natural capacity, developing extension services, knowledge systems, and promoting innovation, and communicating the importance of soil.
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Chris P Lambe, director of research initiatives at Columbia University's AgCenter, unveiled the principles while addressing a press conference.
“Soil is not an isolated element, and several issues impact soil health both directly and indirectly. The most complex soil management issues are best addressed through strong public-private partnership.
“More investment in sustainable soil management practices will create inclusive agricultural value chains and support markets,” he said.
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Lambe also said business, for governments and other stakeholders, is a necessary partner in designing and delivering effective, scalable and practical solutions that are related to making food systems secure and agriculture sustainable.
Romano De Vivo, head of environmental policy at Swiss agricultural firm Syngenta, was present at the press conference and replied to questions of journalists.
