ISRIC’s partnerships and memberships

ISRIC works closely with a diverse network of partners and actively participates in international partnerships, networks and initiatives to promote sustainable land use, climate resilience, and food security worldwide.

These collaborations strengthen ISRIC’s mission to serve as a centre of excellence for global soil information. Through partnerships and memberships, ISRIC helps align scientific efforts, advocates for open data standards, and ensures that soil information is accurate, relevant, and accessible to all.

• Wageningen University & Research (WUR): WUR provides a range of services that support ISRIC’s operations. ISRIC, in turn, supports a special professorship at Wageningen University to advance scientific developments in pedometrics and digital soil mapping. Staff from ISRIC and WUR collaborate on several applied research projects. ISRIC regularly hosts WUR students, staff and international visitors for educational programmes.

• Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO): ISRIC and FAO have maintained a close relationship for over six decades. This long-standing collaboration has contributed to developing global soil information products, such as the Soil Map of the World, the Soil and Terrain databases (SOTER) and the Harmonized World Soil Database (HWSD). ISRIC participates actively in the Global Soil Partnership facilitated by FAO

• European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC): Since 2000, ISRIC has worked with JRC to develop harmonised soil data and improve soil information systems across Europe, for instance through the establishment of the European Digital Archive of Soil Maps (EUDASM).

• Consortium of International Agricultural Research (CGIAR): ISRIC contributes to several CGIAR initiatives focused on food security, climate resilience and the sustainable development dryland regions, whilst working alongside leading research institutions.

• International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC): ISRIC has a memorandum of understanding with IFDC to jointly advance the availability of soil information and improve soil fertility management. This collaboration focusses on developing agricultural decision-support systems and strengthening soil data across multiple regions in Africa.

• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO): ISRIC partners with UNESCO to promote soil knowledge and literacy within its global network of Biosphere Reserves and Geoparks.

In addition to these partnerships with international organisations, ISRIC works closely with national-level soil information providers in Africa to support soil information and system development in their countries. ISRIC also collaborates with leading European research organisations and universities through its involvement in EU-funded projects.

• World Data System (WDS): As the World Data Centre for Soils, ISRIC is a member of the WDS of the of the International Science Council (ISC), contributing to global efforts in data stewardship and accessibility.

• Global Soil Partnership (GSP): The GSP brings together international, regional and national organisations working in the area of soil protection and sustainable management. Under this partnership, ISRIC contributes to the development of the Global Soil Information System (GLOSIS), and participates in the Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN) and in the International Network of Soil Information Institutions (INSII).

• Coalition for Soil Information Systems in Africa (C4SISA): ISRIC is a partner in C4SISA, a collaborative initiative managed by FARA and endorsed by the African Union aimed at strengthening national soil information systems across Africa.

• World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT): ISRIC is a consortium member and active partner of WOCAT, a global network dedicated to sustainable land management. Learn more about WOCAT.

• Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC): ISRIC is a member of the OGC, a global consortium of 450 organisations dedicated to developing and maintaining open standards in geoinformatics. ISRIC actively contributes to the creation of these standards, and applies them in its web-based soil information services.

• International Soil Carbon Network (ISCN): ISRIC and ISCN have a formal data-sharing agreement. Together they provide the global soil community with quality-assessed soil data, supporting research on soil carbon and climate change.

• United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD): ISRIC is a registered civil society organisation (CSO) accredited to the Conference of the Parties of the UNCCD. As part of this role, ISRIC supports the Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) Target Setting Programme.

• Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gasses (GRA): ISRIC joined the GRA in 2017. The GRA brings together leading experts and institutions from around the world to advance research and develop technologies and practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.

• Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN): ISRIC supports GODAN’s mission to promote open access to agricultural data, helping to drive innovation, transparency, and sustainable development in food systems.

• Resource Watch: Resource Watch is a global partnership of public, private, and civil society organisations, convened by World Resources Institute, that provides trusted and timely data on the ‘planet’s pulse’ to support a more sustainable future.

In addition to these partnerships and networks, ISRIC chairs and participates in various working groups of the International Union of Soil Sciences: the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB), Soil Information Standards, Digital Soil Mapping and Global Soil Map.