Moscow – PhosAgro and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have launched a series of scientific and practical workshops dedicated to soil recarbonization as part of the RECSOIL project.
The global RECSOIL initiative, coordinated by the Global Soil Partnership (GSP), is aimed at increasing soil carbon content while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural land through the adoption of sustainable soil management practices. In 2024, PhosAgro, AgroGard and the Faculty of Soil Science at Lomonosov Moscow State University signed an agreement, to implement the initiative in Russia with the FAO’s support.
The first online seminar in the series, focused on data requirements, spatial data and sampling. Participants included faculty and researchers from a number of academic institutions, including Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Russian State Agrarian University – Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy, Kazan (Volga) Federal University, the National Research University Higher School of Economics, the Institute of Soil Science and Agrochemistry of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the A. S. Isaev Centre for Forest Ecology and Productivity of the Russian Academy of Sciences, experts from PhosAgro, AgroGard, and Kept Taxes and Consulting, as well as technical specialists involved in soil surveys, including members of the Russian Soil Laboratory Network (RUSOLAN).
The participants were introduced to various tools and strategies for data collection used in the RECSOIL initiative and also discussed practical approaches employed as part of a joint partnership project being implemented in the Oryol region by PhosAgro, and AgroGard with scientific support from Lomonosov Moscow State University.
Natalia Rodríguez Eugenio, Land and Water Officer and member of the GSP Secretariat: “We’re so grateful to the support of PhosAgro to the GSP, including to its RECSOIL initiative, through which we have a unique opportunity to initiate a RECSOIL pilot project in Russia. The main goal of this week’s training sessions is to introduce the project toolkit to the technicians who will carry out the monitoring of soil health status. Future workshops will focus on building capacity and facilitating knowledge sharing among farmers for the adoption of sustainable soil management practices that increase soil organic carbon stocks, critical in the fight against climate change, addressing soil and land degradation and improving agricultural production.”
Alexander Sharabaika, PhosAgro’s Deputy CEO for Finance and International Projects, said: “Thanks to the joint efforts of PhosAgro and the GSP, the RECSOIL project is now being implemented in Russia as well. An important component of the project is a series of scientific and practical workshops and training sessions aimed at the adoption of sustainable soil management practices. Russian farmers and agricultural scientists have a wonderful opportunity to gain cutting-edge knowledge from leading international experts. We hope that the support of PhosAgro to the GSP will continue to serve as a benchmark for soil protection and climate preservation, helping farmers produce high yields of crops that are safe for human consumption while also maintaining soil fertility.”
PhosAgro has been supporting the GSP since 2018 to develop and implement the Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN), which today includes 1,000 laboratories across 160 countries. The network’s mission is to improve the competencies of soil laboratory staff in the area of harmonised soil analysis. Part of this project is also the support to the global Soil Doctors programme, a farmer-to-farmer training programme aimed at informing farmers about effective and environmentally friendly soil management practices. The project provides farmers with soil kits – a set of diagnostic tools that enable farmers to independently assess the condition of their fields and determine the best management practices to maximize yields and maintain or restore soil health. Last year, PhosAgro and the GSP launched the third phase the global soil protection project until 2026.