Soil Ten Plan (2016)

Soil Ten Plan (2016)
Name	Soil Ten Plan (2016)
Date adopted	2016
Status	Adopted

Soil Ten Plan (2016)

The Soil Ten Plan (2016) was a national soil conservation program introduced in 2016 to address land degradation, erosion, desertification, and nutrient decline. It sought to coordinate action across agricultural provinces, environmental agencies, research institutes, and international partners to restore arable land, improve crop productivity, and meet sustainability commitments under regional accords. The plan integrated targets from multiple scientific consortiums, multilateral agreements, and national ministries into a single implementation framework.

Background and Motivation

The plan was developed against a backdrop of high-profile events and datasets, including assessments from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, reports by the Food and Agriculture Organization, and findings published in journals associated with International Union for Conservation of Nature, World Bank, and national academies such as the National Academy of Sciences (United States). It responded to pressures observed in regions studied by project teams from United Nations Environment Programme, investigators affiliated with University of Cambridge, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and researchers connected to the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Indian Council of Agricultural Research. Policy momentum drew from commitments made at summits like the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development and initiatives linked to the Convention to Combat Desertification. Stakeholders ranging from ministries led by ministers comparable to those in Ministry of Agriculture (People's Republic of China) and departments resembling United States Department of Agriculture were influential in shaping priorities.

Objectives and Targets

The plan set measurable targets compatible with frameworks used by organizations such as Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, World Health Organization, International Monetary Fund, and regional bodies including the European Commission and African Union. Specific aims included restoring millions of hectares identified in surveys by United Nations Development Programme, increasing soil organic carbon benchmarks cited by the International Union of Soil Sciences, and reducing rates of erosion reported in analyses from Food and Agriculture Organization. Targets mirrored indicators used in treaties and accords like the Paris Agreement and referenced methodologies from institutions such as International Soil Reference and Information Centre and research centers at Wageningen University and University of California, Davis.

Key Policies and Measures

The plan combined regulatory, financial, and technical measures promoted by entities like World Bank Group, Asian Development Bank, and philanthropic foundations comparable to Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Policies included incentives for practices popularized in trials at CIMMYT, IRRI, and stations affiliated with Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, adoption of conservation agriculture techniques evaluated by CGIAR centers, and deployment of soil testing protocols developed by laboratories linked to Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Measures incorporated land-use planning approaches discussed at the Habitat III conference, watershed restoration models from projects supported by Global Environment Facility, and payment mechanisms similar to schemes run by the European Investment Bank.

Implementation and Governance

Implementation arrangements mirrored structures used by coalitions such as Global Soil Partnership and coordination mechanisms seen in programs of the United Nations Development Programme and United Nations Environment Programme. Governance roles were allocated among ministries analogous to Ministry of Ecology and Environment (People's Republic of China), agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (United States), research councils akin to National Science Foundation (United States), and provincial or state authorities comparable to Jiangsu Provincial Government or California Natural Resources Agency. Multi-stakeholder committees included representatives from universities such as Harvard University, Peking University, University of Tokyo, non-governmental organizations like Conservation International and The Nature Conservancy, and private sector partners modeled on firms like John Deere and Bayer. Monitoring and reporting drew on data standards promoted by Group on Earth Observations, satellite resources including Landsat and Sentinel-2, and analytical capacity from institutes like International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis.

Reception and Impact

Response came from a spectrum of actors including academic commentators from Royal Society, policy analysts at Chatham House and Brookings Institution, and civil society groups similar to Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth. Early evaluations referenced case studies from provinces and regions associated with research at CSIRO and CIRAD. Reported impacts cited by agencies analogous to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank included reductions in measured erosion rates, increases in soil organic matter in trial sites, and improved yields for farmers engaged through partnerships with institutions like FAO and IFAD. Critics from think tanks such as International Crisis Group and advocacy networks raised concerns about implementation gaps, equity in compensation schemes, and enforcement reminiscent of debates around programs administered by entities like World Trade Organization and International Monetary Fund.

Legacy and Influence on Later Soil Conservation Efforts

The plan influenced subsequent initiatives coordinated by groups such as the Global Soil Partnership and informed program design at regional bodies comparable to the African Union and European Commission. Its methodologies were cited in follow-on projects funded by the Global Environment Facility and in academic work from faculties at Stanford University, University of Oxford, and ETH Zurich. Lessons from the plan shaped dialogues in forums like the United Nations Forum on Forests and the Convention on Biological Diversity, and were incorporated into curricula at institutions including Cornell University and Purdue University. The plan's emphasis on integrated measurement, stakeholder engagement, and finance mechanisms left a demonstrable imprint on national and subnational soil restoration programs and on networks of practitioners working with organizations such as Rockefeller Foundation and Rocky Mountain Institute.

Category:Environmental policy