Strengthening Soil Health Monitoring in Laos: A Pathway to Sustainable Food Security
Soil is involved in 13 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
In Laos, there are worrying signs of widespread soil degradation threatening national food security.
Yet, there is no systematic monitoring of soil health, making it impossible for concerned governmental institutions to prioritize action.
Soil health is not the same as soil fertility. The heavy use of fertilisers can cause a soil to be rich in Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K) but not sustain agricultural production.
Soil fauna is involved in most of soil functions e.g. nutrient cycling, soil structure maintenance, carbon transformations, soil-born pest population regulation… There is a need to go beyond soil properties assessment to assess soil biological functioning
Low-cost and easy-to-use toolkits allowing to assess soil health exist and have been successfully tested in Laos. They should be integrated into a national framework for the monitoring of soil health.
Life comes from the soil, let’s monitor soil health to better protect it!
Strengthening Soil Health Monitoring in Laos: A Pathway to Sustainable Food Security
Description
- Soil is involved in 13 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- In Laos, there are worrying signs of widespread soil degradation threatening national food security.
- Yet, there is no systematic monitoring of soil health, making it impossible for concerned governmental institutions to prioritize action.
- Soil health is not the same as soil fertility. The heavy use of fertilisers can cause a soil to be rich in Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K) but not sustain agricultural production.
- Soil fauna is involved in most of soil functions e.g. nutrient cycling, soil structure maintenance, carbon transformations, soil-born pest population regulation… There is a need to go beyond soil properties assessment to assess soil biological functioning
- Low-cost and easy-to-use toolkits allowing to assess soil health exist and have been successfully tested in Laos. They should be integrated into a national framework for the monitoring of soil health.
- Life comes from the soil, let’s monitor soil health to better protect it!
Agroecology Category
Soil health
Sustainable food system
Agroecology Keyword
Soil biological activity
Soil fertility
Soil health
Soil protection
Soil quality
Contributing organisations
CIRAD, CDE
Author
Soulikone Chaivanhna, Florine Degrune, Sisavath Phimmasone, Albrecht Ehnsperger, Pascal Lienhard
