Global assessment of the impact of plant protection products on soil functions and soil ecosystems

This assessment focuses on three main services that plant protection impacts on soil can significantly affect: provisioning services for food, fibre, and fuel supply and regulating services for water quality and erosion. The Global Soil Partnership (GSP) at its 2016 plenary session requested that the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS) complete “an assessment at global level of the impact of Plant Protection Products on soil functions and ecosystems”. It is an activity under the strategic objective SO2 and indirectly contributing to all FAO strategic objectives. The report aims to draw attention of organizations and policy makers concerned with food security, sustainable development and environment about the importance of plant protection products and their impacts on soils functions and ecosystems. The increasing use of plant protection products has led to widespread concerns about the effect of plant protection products on the environment and especially on human health. In response to these concerns, international agreements and national regulatory frameworks have been developed to regulate the use of plant protection products. The Global Soil Partnership (GSP) at its 2016 plenary session requested that the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS) complete “an assessment at global level of the impact of Plant Protection Products on soil functions and soil ecosystems”. This publication presents the key findings of this assessment.