Based on the results of a previously terminated project “Mapping out options for a model legislation on sustainable soil management in Africa”, a model legislation for “sustainable soil management” is currently under development, for adoption by the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) and subsequent transmission as a proposal to all national parliaments of the African Union. Based on the results and successes of the previous project, the African Union (AU) expressed the need for a model law on soil protection law to be developed. Accordingly, the main objective of the STIAS project is to support the development of an actual proposal for a model law on sustainable soil management on the basis of in-depth and complementary studies in further countries representative of the AU, as well as intensified consultations, in particular by involving international partners, such as the FAO, UNCCD, UNEP and regional organizations on the African continent, as well as national parliaments. The national parliaments of the African states will be provided with a template for effective soil protection legislation as well as proposals for the establishment of an effective soil protection administration. This will serve as the baseline for the STIAS project, which will focus in a legal and interdisciplinary approach on three workstreams:
- Sustainable Soil Governance (SSG) in Africa and other states of the Global South
- Sustainability and digitalisation from the perspective of the Global South
- International trade implications on sustainable soil management
The law-science-policy interface is decisive for the overall results of the STIAS project, which will consist of a in depth literature review supported by (high level) interviews. The outcomes will be addressed and critically discussed in a number of conferences, workshops and webinars. A full documentation of the research, the outcomes of the conferences/workshops/webinars as well as of the overall results of the projects will be disseminated widely and published in a book.
