History of ISRIC

Founded in 1966, ISRIC has evolved from an International Soil Museum to a global soil reference and information centre. Read about the history of our organisation. 

In the 1950s, growing concern emerged over whether global food production could keep pace with the increasing demands of a rapidly expanding population. In response, the newly established and influential United Nations agencies — specifically the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) — initiated a joint effort to assess the Earth’s capacity for agricultural expansion and increased food production. Recognising that soil is a fundamental resource for agriculture, and that accurate projections of agricultural potential require detailed knowledge of both soil and climate, these organisations undertook the ambitious task of creating a comprehensive “Soil Map of the World”.

In 1960, during the 7th International Congress of Soil Science, the International Society of Soil Science (ISSS) passed a resolution endorsing the creation and development of the Soil Map of the World. Over the following two decades, approximately 133 scientific institutes from around the world contributed to the Soil Map of the World project, representing an unprecedented level of international collaboration involving over one hundred institutes. The resulting Soil Map of the World provided a vital foundation for evaluating land use potential, guiding and shaping agricultural policy, and informing long-term strategies for sustainable food production in the face of growing demographic pressures.

Amid global efforts to map the world's soils and confront food security challenges, a parallel vision began to take shape: the establishment of an International Soil Museum to preserve all information and documentation related to the Soil Map of the World. This idea gained momentum through the influence of Professor Van Baren, the Secretary General of the International Soil Science Society and Professor at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

In 1964, at the 8th International Congress of Soil Science, the 1960 resolution was expanded to establish the International Soil Museum (ISM), and to formally link it to the FAO-UNESCO-ISSS Soil Map of the World project. The ISM was created to fulfil two specific objectives: to collect samples and associated documentation representative of the world's diverse soils and make these accessible to the global scientific community; and to serve as an international reference for soil standards. UNESCO agreed to include the museum in its Earth Sciences Programme (now the Division of Ecological Sciences). Following deliberation, the UNESCO Council voted to designate the Netherlands as the host country for the ISM. The museum would operate in close collaboration with UNESCO, FAO and the ISSS, with its activities designed to complement and support the Soil Map of the World project undertaken by these organisations.

In 1966, with the support of the Dutch government, the ISM was established in Utrecht as an international institute, beginning with a physical collection that would later become the World Soil Reference Collection and Library. Over time, the museum evolved, eventually becoming a foundation known as the International Soil Reference and Information Centre (ISRIC).

Today, ISRIC is located on the Wageningen Campus, where it serves as a trusted provider of global soil information and standards. The institute is also actively involved in capacity strengthening activities, implements international soil information projects, and hosts a library and a scientific museum. The museum, which showcases the World Soil Reference Collection, attracts thousands of visitors each year.