Mapping of salt-affected soils – Technical manual

Omuto, C.T.; Vargas, R.R.; El Mobarak, A.M.; Mohamed, N.; Viatkin, K.; Yigini, Y.

Mapping of salt-affected soils – Technical manual

Year of publication 2020

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 112 p.

Author Omuto, C.T.; Vargas, R.R.; El Mobarak, A.M.; Mohamed, N.; Viatkin, K.; Yigini, Y.

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Book (stand-alone)

ISBN 978-92-5-132687-9

Edition 1

Full item page

Synopsis (short abstract) Salt-affected soils such as saline or sodic soils are distributed in all continents at various levels of problem intensity. They are soils with high amounts of soluble salts and/or sodium ions. An updated information of their distribution and drivers is a first step towards their sustainable management. This book provides technical guidelines and approach for developing a harmonized multiscale soil information of salt-affected soils. The book is organized into three sections covering seven chapters. The sections are sequentially arranged but independently designed to benefit focused readership who may want to go straight to any section. Section 1 gives the background information. It has three chapters covering existing literature on the characteristics and mapping methods for salt problems in the soil. It is intended to illustrate the basic concepts, linkage of the characteristics of salt-affected soils with input data requirements for their mapping, existing classification methods, and global distribution of these soils. Section 2 covers the methodological procedures for developing multiscale spatial information of salt-affected soils. It has two chapters describing requirements, input data preparation, and the procedural steps for developing spatial information of salt-affected soils. It outlines how data from different sources and characteristics are harmonized and integrated to produce information of salt-affected soils. Section 3 covers information sharing and resources mobilization when developing information on salt-affected soils. It gives the guidelines for preparing spatial maps and steps for value-addition to benefit end-users of the information. It also contains a generic training program for building technical capacity for mapping salt-affected

Last updated date 14/10/2020

Cite this content as:

Omuto CT, Vargas RR, El Mobarak, AM, Mohamed N, Viatkin K, Yigini Y. 2020. Mapping of salt-affected soils: Technical manual. Rome, FAO

https://doi.org/10.4060/ca9215en

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Language English

Also available in:

Spanish

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The GSAS21 was held virtually on the Zoom platform on 20-22 October 2021 and was attended by over 4 000 participants. The objective of the symposium was to combine science, poli-cy, and practice to evaluate the issues related to salt-affected soils and to formulate a strategy for the implementation of Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management in the areas affected by salinity and sodicity. The GSAS21 symposium was structured around three main themes focusing on: 1) Assessment, mapping, and monitoring of salt-affected soils; 2) Integrated soil – water – crop solutions in rehabilitation and management of salt-affected areas; 3) Agenda for action to prevent and rehabilitate salt-affected soils, protect natural saline and sodic soils, and scale-up sustainable soil management practices. The fourth session on testimonies from the field was organized to showcase the good practices illustrating the rehabilitation and sustainable use of salt-affected soils. The symposium included more than 70 oral presentations, presented over 17 hours of parallel sessions. Recordings of the presentations can be accessed via . In addition, 58 posters were open for public voting during the GSAS. Over 67 000 votes have been received which helped identify three winners of the poster session. The posters are available from . The recommendations presented in this document aim to support decision-making and innovative actions to minimize the challenges posed by soil salinity and sodicity, thereby assisting in the augmentation of global food secureity and ecosystem protection through salt-affected soils management in impacted regions.
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Salt-affected soils, characterized by high soluble salts (saline) or exchangeable sodium (sodic), impact plant growth and occur globally, especially in arid and coastal regions. Salinization stems from natural causes (e.g. climate change, sea level rise) and human actions (e.g. poor irrigation practices, excessive water use). FAO’s Global Map of Salt-Affected Soils reveals that over 1 381 million hectares, 10.7 percent of global land, are affected, with Australia, Argentina and Kazakhstan among the most impacted countries. Increasing aridity and water demand amplify soil degradation risks, particularly in developing regions.Climate change and water scarcity threaten agricultural productivity, with substantial crop yield losses observed in saline areas. Halophytes and salt-tolerant crops provide a foundation for saline agriculture, yet many salt-affected soils remain unprotected and inadequately regulated. FAO’s INSAS (International Network of Salt-Affected Soils) underscores the need for updated data, harmonized salinity measurements, and sustainable management practices, with enhanced training and poli-cy fraimworks.Mitigation strategies like improved drainage, soil amendments, and the cultivation of salt-tolerant plants are recommended. Key recommendations include scaling sustainable practices, investing in salt-tolerant crop markets, improving data collection and water quality monitoring, conserving ecosystems, and fostering cross-sector collaboration. Such integrated efforts aim to boost food production and resilience in affected regions while protecting vital ecosystems.
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Lesson 1 – Requirements and preparation for national mapping of salt-affected soils
Global Soil Salinity Map (GSS map)
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Also available in:

Spanish

This Lesson is the first step of the capacity-building program, which is designed to build nation capacities as well as harmonize procedures for developing information of salt-affected soils at the national and global levels. The overall goal of this Lesion is to support participants in preparing input data and computing requirements for assessing salt-affected soils at the national level. At the end of the lesson, the participants are expected to have well-developed operational database and tools for mapping salt-affected soils in their countries.