A Strategy for Taking Soil Carbon into the Policy Arena - Soil Carbon: Science, Management and Policy for Multiple Benefits - page 62

Table 5.1. Components of a policy process to raise the status of soil organic carbon (SOC).

Scale level

Section Local National International

Policy
(What?)

Policy imperative
(build-up
and maintenance
of SOC)

Agro (urban)-ecological alternative
Avoid degradation
Sustainable land management
Increasing productivity/fertilization

SOC into national soil protection
legislation
SOC into NAP
SOC into NAMAs (Chapter 31,
this volume)

Sustainable development (under construction,
Chapter 29, this volume)
Climate adaptation + mitigation (UNFCCC,
LDNW UNCCD)
Conservation + sustainable use of biodiversity
(CBD)

Policy profile and
discourse (raising
awareness)

Adapt to local socio/cultural context
(Chapter 14, this volume)
Education

Value of SOC Regional patterns
(Chapters 15 and 18, this volume)

Include SOC in sustainable development
(mainstreaming)
Hyperbole

Policy rationale
(economic/social
benefits, soil as
a capital)

Develop strategy for sustainable
livelihoods (Chapter 14, this volume)
Reduced risk

Multiple benefits (Chapters 15
and 18, this volume)
Reduced costs from erosion, etc.

Maintaining SOC for future generations
Reduce vulnerability of populations

Policy support
(tools and
programmes)

Best practices demonstrated at local
level (e.g. WOCAT)
Field-scale SOC models
(e.g. Comet VR,
Cool farm; Chapter 17,
this volume)
Smartphones

Soil monitoring networks
(Chapter 16, this volume)
Modelling tools GEFSOC
(Chapter 17, this volume)
Google maps
National incentives/PES
(water, biodiversity, carbon)

Harmonization SMNs
Develop research to valuate soils/SOC
(Chapters 18 and 22, this volume)
Climate adaptation and environmental funds

Actors
(Who?)

Advocates and
institutions

Farmers' organizations, CBOs, NGOs Cross-compliance Ministries,

focal points, NARS

Global conventions and partnerships,
international NGOs, UN, GEF, World Bank,
FAO, IFAD

Governance Agricultural extension

Conservation districts
Local producers/landcare associations/
watershed committees

Agricultural strategy and sectors
NAMAs (Chapter 31, this volume)
Labels and markets
Carbon footprint
Soil certification

Conference of Parties, Global Soil Partnership
(GSP), IPCC, IPBES

CBO, community-based organizations; FAO, Food and Agriculture Organization; GEF, Global Environment Facility; GEFSOC, Global Environment Facility Soil Organic Carbon; IFAD,
International Fund for Agricultural Development; IPBES, Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services; IPCC, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change; LDNW, land-degradation neutral world; NAMA, nationally appropriate mitigation action; NAP, national action plans; NARS, national agricultural research systems; NGOs,
non-governmental organizations; PES, payment of ecosystem services; SMN, soil monitoring network; UN, United Nations; UNCCD, United Nations Convention to Combat
Desertification; UNFCCC, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; WOCAT, World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies. Chapters refer to
others in this volume where a more detailed discussion of the issues can be found.