NRCS - Latin America Soil Science Collaboration

Thomas ReinschUSDA-NRCS National Leader

World Soil Resources

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Objective

• Increase collaboration with soil scientists in Latin America– Initiatives– Conferences– Workshops– Publications

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Outline

• Mexico Initiative• World and Latin America Congress• Soil Classification Workshops• Soil Science Exchanges• Publication - Latin America Soil

Atlas

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México Initiative

• Mexico delegation visits USDA-NRCS

• Chief of the NRCS assigned staff to: – Establish communications and

develop collaborative relationships– Determine interest in the U.S. and

Mexico in using the collaborative approach

• FAS-USAID funding obtained

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Activities• May 2010 Ecological Site Descriptions

and the Nine Steps of Conservation Planning – Guadalajara – Attended by 50 representatives from CONAFOR and related agencies

•  June 2010 Rangeland Management and Arid Area Conservation Study Tour – Albuquerque, NM – Attended by four CONAFOR representatives and one NGO representative (from San Miguel de Allende)

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Activities• August 2010 Soil and Natural Resource

Conservation Forum – (Universidad de Chapingo outside of Mexico City) – Attended by 300 students of the university and local professors and conservation experts.

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Activities• February  2011 Begin translation into

Spanish of NRCS Technical Field Guide by CONAFOR

• May 2011 CONAFOR US study tour to attend Bureau of Land Management workshop on arid land rangeland management- Las Vegas

• August 2011 Binational Desertification conference, Zacatecas Mexico

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Benefits• Contribute to the creation of a “green wall” at

the Mexico-U.S. border with activities that promotes conservation, biodiversity and productive, environmentally sustainable land use.

• Explore opportunities for applying lessons learned to evolving local, state and federal policy regarding mitigation, carbon sequestration, rural economic development and agriculture in the border region as a whole.

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World Congress Soil Science

Soil Classification Workshops

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Soil Taxonomy

• Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Guatemala, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic and Venezuela

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International Soil Classification Seminar UNAM Mexico• Technology transfer - Soil Taxonomy and

Classification.

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Latin AmericaCongress Soil ScienceCLACS

Petrocalcic

Vertisols

Oxisols

Soil Characterization Field and LaboratoryStudies

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CLACS2009 Costa Rica2012 Argentina2014 Peru2016 Ecuador

Examples of Ideas shared

• Since 75% of SOC is in the subsoil .3-3M, don’t just concentrate on SOC in upper .3 m.

• What is soil mineralogy of iodine• Find a way to use P stored in soils• Cd accumulating in Cocoa above .06

ppm thresholds in several test sites.• Soil monitoring is an important

developing issue. Slide 16

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Atlas content

• Soils and the environment in LAC• Soil classification• Soil maps• Soils and land use in LAC• Soils and climate change in LAC• Soils and large landscapes• LAC soils: National perspectives

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Summary• Build capacity to utilize Soil

Taxonomy and other USDA soil science standards to increase food security and sustainable land use.

• Promote soil conservation• Establish permanent contacts

with institutions and organizations responsible for soil conservation and soil survey in Latin America.

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• Thank you

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