On Thursday 24 April, in the framework of the ChangeNOW Summit and in the 10th anniversary of the international “4 per 1000” Initiative, the OIV Director General participated in a round table and signed a new MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) to renew the commitment with the initiative.
📷 ©️ Cheick Saidou, Ministère français de l’Agriculture et de la Souveraineté alimentaire
OIV Director General, John Barker, participated in the Round Table discussion titled “The International '4 per 1000' Initiative in the last 10 Years: Crossed Perspectives on the Legacy of the First Decade,” where he highlighted how the partnership between the OIV and 4p1000 has significantly shifted global perspectives on the importance of soil health.
Launched at the CoP 21 in December 2015, the international “4 per 1000 Initiative” aims to demonstrate how agricultural soils can provide concrete solutions to the challenge of climate change, such as an annual growth rate of 4‰ in soil carbon stocks, in the first 30 to 40 cm of soil, would significantly reduce the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere.
During the Round Table “The International '4 per 1000' Initiative in the last 10 Years: Crossed Perspectives on the Legacy of the First Decade”
📷 ©️ Cheick Saidou, Ministère français de l’Agriculture et de la Souveraineté alimentaire
Cooperation since 2022
In recent years, the OIV has made soil health a central focus of its agenda. This effort began with a joint publication on viticulture in 2022, which helped raise international awareness about the issue. The OIV further demonstrated its commitment by developing a resolution on agroecology, specifically tailored to the vitivinicultural sector. As a result, soil health has now been integrated into the OIV’s new Strategic Plan, and a recent collective expertise document underscores the critical role of microbial biodiversity in promoting sustainable viticulture.
In addition to its participation in the Round Table, the OIV reinforced its commitment to the initiative by signing a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for another five years, following the expiration of the original MoU signed in April 2022. This new agreement aligns with the updated Strategic Plans of both organisations and sets out key objectives and areas of cooperation. These include:
- Promote carbon sequestration as a tool helping fight against climate change to meet the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Develop a better understanding of the relationship between soils and vines.
- Identify and promote best practices, technical guidelines, and criteria for the development of healthy and living viticultural soils.
- Advocacy for carbon sequestration in soils and their health as an effective tool and resource to fight climate change, specifically focusing on mitigation and adaptation measures that can enhance the resilience of vitivinicultural systems.
- The identification and development of agroecological guidelines and recommendations on viticultural practices aimed at achieving sustainable soil management.
- The collection and study of data, statistics, and trends related to soil management and usage within the vitivinicultural sector.
The Director General of the OIV, John Barker, with the President of 4p1000, Stéphane Le Foll, after signing the MoU
📷 ©️ Cheick Saidou, Ministère français de l’Agriculture et de la Souveraineté alimentaire
