Objective E2 - Soil Health Observatory

LabelTitleDescription
Soil Health ObservatoryEnable near real-time monitoring of Soil Health (SH) and Soil Organic Carbon (SOC)SH and SOC are monitored in near real-time at global, regional, and national levels.

Targets E2 - Soil Health Observatory

Baseline 2020Target 2030Target 2050

Identification of some significant operators.

The establishment of a real-time observatory for SH and SOC.

Real-time SH & SOC observatory is operational at global, regional, and sub-regional levels.

Context E2 - Soil Health Observatory

Problem E2 - Soil Health Observatory

Problem StatementDescriptionConsequences
SH and SOC assessments at national and regional levels are not always available.
There is no publicly accessible, independent, up-to-date, and sufficiently detailed SH and SOC information system that enables improved planning, implementation, and evaluation of global, regional, and national climate and food security interventions.

There is insufficient awareness of the importance of SH and SOC for climate and food security and the urgency with which the issue needs to be addressed.

Poor assessment of risks, needs, and potentials leads to poor decision-making and targeting of interventions and, thus, to a waste of invested resources.

Poor assessment of SOC status and development hinders accountability, a prerequisite for the widespread adoption of carbon sequestration and soil eco-service compensation schemes.

Causes E2 - Soil Health Observatory

CauseDescription

1

Lack of recognitionThe role of soil, its enormous importance as a carbon sink or emission source, and the concept of SH are not yet fully recognized.

2

No agreement on indicatorsThe selection of parameters that best reflect SH varies by soil, climate, and management. It is difficult or inefficient to work with universal indicators, so the development of regional indicators will be necessary.

3

No agreement on standardsThe measurement methods for SOC and SH assessment are not harmonized. Heterogeneous methods sometimes make the results non-comparable.

4

Lack of fundingSoil monitoring systems are not a high priority, and operators usually have to compete for inadequate funding with other areas of soil and agricultural research.

5

Lack of soil dataOften, national authorities do not have data on SH and SOC or do not share it with other stakeholders.

6

Complexity

Modeling soil processes and conditions are highly complex due to their high spatial variability, and it's not trivial to find a good balance between a manageable number of parameters and an acceptable accuracy to retrieve indicators and depict trends.

7

Fragmentation and competitionFragmentation and competition between service providers remain a problem.

8

Lack of a universal SH concept

The concept of SH is new and complex, and there is still a lack of agreement regarding the whole concept.

9

Cost of data collectionMonitoring SOC changes at the plot level are costly, and changes can only be expected after 5 to 10 years. So far, the possibilities of remote sensing and other low-cost solutions are still in their infancy.

10

Lack of competenceLack of skills and competencies at all stages and levels remains an issue.

Implementation strategy E2 - Soil Health Observatory

Activities E2 - Soil Health Observatory

ActivityDescription

1

Assess needs

Clarify the expectations of stakeholders and target groups, design corresponding information products and services, and define a time frame.

2

Assess technical options and gaps

Develop a list of existing technologies and systems that can be part of the solution and assess their performance. Evaluate and prioritize gaps at all levels of the systems.

3

Build a team

Identify and organize a team of experts who have the required skills and can help to build a global system.

4

Define system requirements

Define the criteria for building a global database of context-dependent reference values, i.e., measured indicators on SH and SOC and corresponding clusters of pedo-climatic contexts.

Outline the system architecture and develop governance modalities for its operation to reach an inclusive and realistic solution that considers limitations in terms of technologies, data, competencies, and the enabling environment.

5

Develop a business model
Develop a business model and mobilize financial, political, and in-kind support for systems development and the enabling environment.

6

Implement the observatoryEnable collaborative and agile systems development.

Critical Success Factors (CSFs) E2 - Soil Health Observatory

Critical Success Factor

Description

1

Recognition of the concept of SH

The central importance of the health of soils, the origin of all life on earth, must be recognized. Healthy soils are essential for sustainable agriculture, healthy food, regulation of the ecosystem, and in particular the gas balance of the atmosphere. A common understanding of the concept of SH has to be reached.

2

Agreed minimal data set

Agreement on key SH and SOC indicators is critical. It should be minimal but comprehensive enough to generate clear and accurate information regarding SH and carbon dynamics.

3

Cope with a diversity of methodsThe results of different methods of soil carbon analysis must be comparable or at least translatable. The standard protocols are wet methods (cheaper and producing toxic waste), loss on ignition (cheap but inaccurate), and elemental analysis (more expensive but with accurate results).

4

Impartial support

Adequate impartial support and governance of the observatory are required. The governments of each country must provide the human and financial resources to contribute to the global soil observatory.

5

Data availability

Unrestricted, public access to high-quality soil data at local, regional, and national levels is required for evidence-based communication.

6

Agile development

An agile approach to development that addresses complexity starts simple, can adapt to changing conditions, clearly communicates its limitations, and enables continuous learning through interaction with users and researchers.

7

Collaboration and inclusion

Service providers at different levels need to work together to enable synergy and complementarity. It is essential to work with a reduced number of scientific experts and members of the governments of each member country to ensure that the objectives can be achieved.

8

Affordability

The solution must have a low-cost approach to data gathering, processing, and diffusion of information. Innovative SOC measurement technologies (NIRS/MIRS/LIBS, etc.) must be tested and inter-compared, and their cost should be assessed.

9

Capacity development

Develop competencies at all levels and stages of the system, from data acquisition to the interpretation of results.

Barriers E2 - Soil Health Observatory

BarrierDescription

1

Diversity of methods

There are several methods for determining soil organic carbon, and each has its advantages and limitations. The comparability of observations from different methods remains poor.

2

Lack of funds

Funding needs to be allocated to soil-related climate mitigation strategies.

3

Data scarcity

It will take time to produce high-quality data on soils globally and at time intervals that allow for the detection of changes in SOC.

4

Fragmentation and competition

A harmonized reporting of data will take time and resources to be established.

5

Research for research's sake

Researchers will research because there is a gap in the research but do not address pressing issues on the ground.

6

Uncertainty of observations

Due to the high spatial variability, the determination of soil properties is still subject to significant uncertainties.

7

Excessive bureaucracy

National researchers have reported carbon stocks that often fail to connect landowners and carbon markets.

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