This document presents the main outcomes of the Global Symposium on Soil Organic Carbon (GSOC17) held at FAO headquarters (Rome, 21-23 March 2017). It presents key messages intensively discussed and developed by the GSOC17 participants and subsequently reviewed and synthesized by the Scientific Committee. The GSOC17 Outcome Document highlights major issues and future directions regarding Soil Organic Carbon preservation and enhancement in research, practice and policy.

Land reform has been a strong part of the overall re-structuring of the Lithuanian economy and it has contributed to the gains in living standard that have been achieved since 1994. Like the other former Soviet states, Lithuania suffered strong declines in agricultural and industrial production following independence.

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.

Agricultural soils in the tropics have undergone significant declines in their native carbon stock through the long-term use of extractive farming practices. However, these soils have significant capacity to sequester CO2 through the implementation of improved land management practices. This paper reviews the published and grey literature related to the influence of improved land management practices on soil carbon stock in the tropics.

The aim of the research was to analyse the urbanized landscape change in Vilnius district. The study covers the period between the years 2009 and 2014. The study used to perform statistical, literary and comparative analysis, inventory, data systematization, graphic modelling and logical abstract methods. The results showed that during the analysed period the urbanized areas of agricultural land increased the most, these areas have increased by 593.26 hectares (30 percent of the total built-up area).

To prevent uncontrolled urban sprawl of rural area and promote desirable development, Korean government established 'Act on Planning and Use of National Territory' in 2003. However, despite improvement of the framework of land use system, urban sprawl and rural environment destruction is aggravating. Unlike Japan, there is no independent plan for managing farmland and forest in Korea. Local governments' land use plan also excessively focused on urban management. To prevent deteriorating rural amenity, it is desirable to induce more specific guideline for rural land use and development.

Assessment of ecosystem services has been set a strategically important role in the European Union countries, including it to the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020. The EU Biodiversity Strategy determines that “Member States, with the assistance of the Commission, will map and assess the state of ecosystems and their services in their national territory by 2014, assess the economic value of such services, and promote the integration of these values into accounting and reporting systems at EU and national level by 2020”.

The study carried out an assessment of agricultural land management practices in food crops production among small scale farmers in Kwara Sate, Nigeria.

Lease of farm lands is the most important process of proprietorial changes in the state’s agriculture sector. As an effect of turbulent socio-economic conditions and legal solutions resulting from country’s agricultural politics, its share in land’s management has significantly shrunk. Currently there is around 1.1 million ha of land in lease, which makes up for 23% of the land acquired by the Agricultural Property Agency of the State Treasury.

Academics and policy-makers seeking to assess public perception and preferences of landscape face major challenges conceptually, methodologically and institutionally. The terms ‘landscape’, ‘public’ and ‘perception’ are contested and generate their own discourses and extensive literature. However, set within multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary blends of natural and social scientificresearch, considerable progress has been made on all fronts. This paper seeks to untangle the complex array of conceptual and methodological frameworks that have evolved in landscape perception.