Resource Library
Feature Resource:
2024 World Living Soils Forum Report
The World Living Soils Forum (WLSF), created in 2022 by Moët Hennessy, and co-organized with ChangeNOW for its second edition in October 2024, convened stakeholders from diverse sectors - including farmers, scientists, NGOs, policymakers, startups and industry leaders - to tackle the urgent challenge of soil regeneration. The WLSF program was fully co-created with an external advisory board of fourteen experts from diverse backgrounds. Held across three locations—France, the USA, and China—the event brought together 600 attendees and featured 70 sessions with over 180 speakers. The forum presented innovative and impactful solutions to accelerate the adoption of regenerative agriculture, emphasizing collaboration, innovation, and education as levers for transformation.
My Family Cares for Soil
My Family Cares for Soil is an educational children's booklet by Eliseus Bamporineza, a Soil Health Advocate and Youth4Soil member of the Coalition of Action for Soil Health (CA4SH).
It is an engaging and educational booklet that follows a young girl’s journey as she explores soil health monitoring alongside family members. Each family member uses specific tools, like pH meters, moisture meters, and drones, to gather and analyze data on soil quality, helping the child understand the importance of caring for soil to improve farming outcomes. This story introduces children to scientific tools in a relatable way, showing how testing soil’s pH, moisture, temperature, and nutrient levels can lead to healthier crops and more sustainable farming. Through vibrant illustrations and simple explanations, the booklet covers essential soil care practices like moisture checking, nutrient testing, and mapping soil types. Designed as a learning resource each family member in the book showcases a specific tool used to monitor and enhance soil health, making the content accessible and relatable for children in their quest to know about soil and the importance of gathering information about it.
Youth Initiatives for Scaling Soil Health: Advice from #Youth4Soil Global Advocates
The Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH) is a multistakeholder partnership committed to scaling soil health, globally. CA4SH places a high degree of importance on the role of youth as innovators and experts toward scaling global soil health. Youth are engaged through the #Youth4Soil movement, which includes a working group, mentorship opportunities, and support for speaking and engagement. We also want to highlight youth approaches to advocating for global soil health.
In April 2024, Roël D. Houdanon, Founder & Chief Technical Advisor, Land and Health Association shared an op-ed highlighting the role of youth in defending soil health. He presented several avenues for youth to get involved in scaling soil health:
Awareness Raising
Innovation & Technology
Policy Advocacy
Community Engagement
Education
Science & Research
We reached out to youth partners to learn about their individual approaches to scaling soil health through these thematic action areas.
These are their responses.
Food Systems Call to Action: A shared vision for transformation and urgent action
At COP 28, a diverse and powerful group of nonState actors6 came together to launch the Food Systems Call to Action for Transforming Food Systems for People, Nature and Climate (Food Systems CtA). Representing farmers and frontline communities, businesses, philanthropies, cities, consumers and many others, this broad coalition delivered a strong message to assembled world leaders and the global community gathered for the 28th Conference of Parties (COP 28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that all actors must take urgent action to transform food systems to deliver positive outcomes for people, nature and climate.
Developed through a consultative process in 2023, the Food Systems CtA is a 2-page text, available in 7 languages, that highlights 10 priority actions and 4 principles intended to unlock the transformative potential of food systems. It centres on the need to support farmers and other frontline food systems actors, with a particular focus on women and youth, as well as vulnerable communities. Incorporating feedback from hundreds of individuals and entities, the final text was published on the High-Level Champions website along with an endorsement process. This process includes the submission of a Statement of Action for endorsers to emphasise additional priority points and detail the actions they are taking that align with the CtA, promoting transparency and accountability. The full list of current endorsers is available on the High-Level Champions website. The Food Systems CtA will remain open for endorsement by non-State actors until COP 30 in Belem.
General Recommendations for Soil Health Monitoring
The CA4SH Monitoring, Research and Implementation have compiled expert advice and considerations for those looking to monitor soil health.
Advocate Briefs: Restoration of Rangeland Carbon Sinks for Increased Community Climate Resilience and Agricultural Outcomes
The Restoration of Rangeland Carbon Sinks focuses directly on addressing key knowledge and capacity gaps to enhance rangeland health monitoring with one key work area focused on building a gender-inclusive community of practice in rangeland health monitoring.
These individual profiles of rangeland health advocates reflect on the experiences of women and youth who have been engaged in training, skills development and data collection in their local rangelands.
Building a Gender-inclusive Community of Practice in Rangeland Health Monitoring
This brief summarizes the capacity development activities undertaken by the project Restoration of Rangeland Carbon Sinks to build gender inclusive community of practice in rangeland health monitoring.
Specifically, the brief outlines the critical need to address gender inequalities in rangeland health monitoring and synthesises reflections from women and youth on skills they have built through capacity development activities. The brief also highlights the impact these activities are having not only in their own agency and development, but also the wider implications and impact they want to create in their communities as a result of the skills they have built and been exposed to.
BAIF Journal Special Issue: Water Stewardship Through Corporate Partnership
Read the latest edition of the BAIF Development Research Foundation's quarterly journal!
Production, Regeneration and Networking Innovation in Argentina: GoodPractices and Lessons Learned from Farmers in Argentina
The Carbon Gap Network or Red de Brechas de Carbono (RBC) project from the Argentine No-Till Farmers Association (Aapresid) takes localized information on climate and the environment and translates it into actionable recommendations for farmers on the ground to maximize their soil’s organic carbon, and foster overall healthier soils.
IUSS Centennial Celebration Report
From May 19 to 21, 2024, the celebratory conference marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) was successfully held at the Palazzo dei Congressi in Florence. This event was the first world congress of the IUSS to be held in Italy since its foundation in Rome in 1924. The event was jointly organized by the Italian Soil Science Society (SISS) and the IUSS and was sponsored by numerous institutions, scientific societies, and academies, both national and international, as well as various soil movements and associations. The congress saw the participation of nearly 1,500 experts from 73 countries (Figs. 4, 5, 6). The largest delegation, after the Italian one, was the Chinese delegation, followed by the United States, and then Germany, Spain, United Kingdom and Mexico. Among the participants were colleagues from Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Iran, highlighting how soil research unites all countries in the world and fosters dialogue between nations, as well as the advancement of knowledge.
The Road Ahead for Soil Health Action: A Call to Action from the 2024 CA4SH Webinar Series
The Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH) is a multi stakeholder partnership committed to scaling soil health, globally. CA4SH ’s membership base comprises stakeholders from member states, the private sector, research institutions, civil society, farmer organisations, multilateral organisations, and NGOs.
To leverage the wealth of knowledge and experiences from across our partners in addressing key challenges currently constraining farmers to implement healthy soil practices, CA4SH held a three-part virtual Webinar Series in early 2024. The 2024 Webinar Series was held over three sessions under the topics of bringing soil health into policy, science & knowledge for improving and monitoring soil health, and financing healthy soil practices. The objectives were to explore soil-related themes and share experiences with a focus on tailoring and scaling successful methodologies.
This brief summarizes the sessions, and coallates lessons learned, calls to action, and opportunities for scaling these approaches to align action on soil ahead of the 2024 Rio Conventions.
Lessons Learned from COP28: Advocating for Soil Health in Multinational Fora
Soil health was formally recognized in the COP28 UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action, in part because of the advocacy approach taken by CA4SH and our partners. In this brief, CA4SH partners and member states who engaged in this process lay out key lessons learned while advocating for soil in the context of the UNFCCC COPs, with recommendations for scaling this approach in other contexts.
Special Issue of the BAIF Journal: Carbon Offsetting and Neutrality
BAIF has been forging partnerships with global and national agencies for leveraging the strengths of the actors engaged in climate action. During the last couple of years, BAIF received accreditation as an Observer Organisation status for UNFCCC's COP as well as provisional status for UNCCD, BAIF has become a member of the Global EverGreening Alliance (GEA) Australia, Coalition of Action for Soil Health (CA4SH), International Biochar Initiative, United States and World Bioenergy Association, Sweden. Partnerships have also been developed within the country to share knowledge and undertake projects on climate change mitigation.
This issue, with its focus on the carbon offsetting and neutrality efforts of BAIF, serves as an eye opener for acceleration of voluntary action and working towards net-zero emissions, the most important goal of all responsible organisations.
CA4SH Brochure
The Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH) grew out of the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS). The objective of the Coalition is to scale soil health globally. Download the brochure to find out more.
CA4SH Support Letter
The support letter is a non-binding agreement between CA4SH and stakeholders interested in joining the Coalition.
Learn more about membership on our Membership page
2023 CA4SH Annual Report
For the Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH), 2023 was marked by continual learning and exponential growth, and we are celebrating by launching the inaugural Annual Report. Highlights include a reflection on our roots and growing the Coalition (which now has over 170 multistakeholder members and counting!), zooming in on key engagements, advocating for soil health in the climate agenda, achievements, lessons learned, and a look at what’s to come.
Soil Health Industry Platform: Report and Priority Actions for 2024
The Sustainable Soils Alliance (SSA) has been tracking the food industry’s progress in regards to regenerative agriculture and soil health initiatives via its Soil Health Industry Platform (SHIP). The 2023 SHIP report highlights our key Observations, soil-related Business Initiatives and based on our analysis we’ve recommended six Priority Actions to take forward in 2024.
CA4SH Working Groups Meeting Presentation (March 2024)
Learn more about the objectives and foci for the four thematic working groups in 2024.
Advocating for Soil Health
This presentation is for use by CA4SH members and stakeholders to introduce CA4SH and communicate key messages around why we should scale soil health.