ISRIC—World Soil Information elected to host the Soil Data Facility for the Global Soil Partnership

On 20th June 2017 the Plenary Assembly of the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) assigned ISRIC — World Soil Information as the institution to host the Soil Data Facility that will be built in Pillar 4 of the partnership. This means that ISRIC, as member of the Pillar 4 Working Group will: (i) contribute to the design of the Global Soil Information System, (ii) participate in capacity building programs, and (iii) provide a system that integrates the national facilities into a global soil information system.

The Global Soil Partnership was established in December 2012. Its mandate is to improve governance of the limited soil resources of the planet in order to guarantee agriculturally productive soils for a food secure world, as well as support other essential ecosystem services; this in accordance with the sovereign right of each State over its natural resources. In order to achieve its mandate, the GSP addresses five pillars of action to be implemented in collaboration with its regional soil partnerships.

Pillar 4 of the GSP essentially addresses the development of a Global Soil Information System (based on a distributed model), and requires the active participation and contributions of national soil information institutions. Therefore, an International Network of Soil Information Institutions (INSII) has been established. ISRIC will assist the INSII to build national and regional soil information systems and provide a system that integrates these systems into a global soil information system.

ISRIC is proud to be entrusted with this important role by the Plenary Assembly of GSP. We will work closely together with the Pillar 4 Working Group and INSII to create a distributed soil information system to contribute to the sustainable use of the global soil resources.