The Global Soil Partnership (GSP) and the Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) are hosting an online consultation on the Zero Draft of the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (VGSSM). Developed by the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS) at the request of the 153rd session of the FAO Council in December 2015, the VGSSM aim to facilitate the implementation of the World Soil Charter and promote effective and sustainable soil management around the world. Among other questions, the consultation is exploring whether the draft guidelines: sufficiently outline a way to achieve sustainable soil management worldwide; include all the key technical elements to achieve sustainable soil management; take into account the great variety of ecosystem services provided by soils; will be “sufficient” to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); and identify activities that should be avoided to achieve multiple benefits through sustainable soil management. The revised draft of the VGSSM will be finalized by an Open-Ended Working Group, prior to its consideration by the GSP Plenary Assembly and the FAO Committee on Agriculture, for endorsement by the FAO Council.  

dates: 11 February – 7 March 2016  
location: virtual  
www: http://www.fao.org/globalsoilpartnership/highlights/detail/en/c/382798/
 http://www.fao.org/fsnforum/forum/discussions/soilguidelines