The Global Symposium on Soils for Nutrition “Soils, where food begins”, was held on 26-29 July 2022. We would like to share with you some of the successes and highlights of the event and, most importantly, what will happen in the next future on the topic of soils for nutrition and fertility.
HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY FIGURES
| Over 9 500 registered participants and more than 5 000 participants connected from 180 countries, including UN agencies, government representatives, scientists, private sector, practitioners, NGOs, civil society organizations, local communities, and land users. | |
| 28 renowned speakers, focused on how policy and scientific evidence can be translated into concrete actions to reduce soil fertility loss towards nutrition and food security and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. | |
| 96 dedicated articles in the international press reaching 20 million people around the world. | |
| 69 scientific posters displayed, totalizing almost 120 000 unique votes in 4 days. | |
| Over 200 photos received for the photo contest and + 1 000 likes & shares. | |
| An interactive quiz on soils for nutrition. | |
| More than 8 hours of plenary sessions and 20 hours of presentations/interactive discussion held in five parallel sessions over the 4 main themes of the Symposium. |
PUBLICATION LAUNCH: ‘SOILS FOR NUTRITION: THE STATE OF THE ART’
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Launched on Day 1 of the GSOIL4N, this publication reviews the role of soil fertility in producing sufficient, safe, and more nourishing food for healthier plants, animals, and people. It shows the way forward to solving the nutrient imbalance that is prevalent in our soils and affecting agri-food systems around the world. |
THE WINNERS OF THE SCIENTIFIC POSTER COMPETITION ARE…
| FOR THEME 1:
“Nutrient management and crop establishment methods in paddy to improve productivity and income from salt-affected coastal soils: from a fallow land to a bountiful harvest“, Gopal Ramdas Mahajan, ICAR – Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute, Goa, India 8 300 unique votes |
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| FOR THEME 2:
“On Multinutrient Deficiencies in Rainfed Agroecosystem – A case study from India“, Lalitha M., ICAR-National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Regional Centre, Bangalore, India. 1 327 unique votes |
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| FOR THEME 3:
“Potential of lignocellulolytic microbial consortia in achieving in-situ crop residue decomposition to abate residue burning“, Sudeshna Bhattacharjya, India. 1 239 unique votes |
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| 🗎 | FOR THEME 4:
“Peculiarities of cation exchange capacity of agricultural soils of Kakheti region (Georgia)“, Teo Urushadze, School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences, Agricultural University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia. 1 206 unique votes |
| See the full list here | |
WHO ARE THE WINNERS OF THE PHOTO CONTEST ON #SOILS4NUTRITION?
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FIRST CLASSIFIED: “Root nodules of Sesbania aculeate (green manure) grown under sodic soils“, Awtar Singh from India |
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SECOND CLASSIFIED: “Magnesium deficiency symptom in Moringa oleifera“, Srinivasan Subbiah from India |
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THIRD CLASSIFIED: “Evolution of agriculture in sloping areas under no-tillage in southeastern Brazil“, José Marcos Garrido Beraldo from Brazil |
See all entries here
WHAT IS NEXT? THE WAY FORWARD
Of course, fighting against nutrient balance loss does not end here! GSOIL4N marks the beginning of a concrete plan of action to address this global threat: science must be brought into action through policy if we want to see significant impact.
Outcomes of the Symposium:
- ‘Soils, where food begins” – this Outcome document will present an agenda for action.
- Working towards the implementation of available normative tools, including the International Code of Conduct for the Sustainable Use and Management of Fertilizers.
- Establishment of an “International Network on Soil Fertility and Fertilizers (INSOFF)”.
The proceedings of the Symposium will compile all scientific abstracts presented both orally and in poster format during the Symposium into a single publication. The proceedings will be published in the coming weeks on the symposium webpage.
WORLD SOIL DAY 2022 #Soils4Nutrition
This year World Soil Day will raise awareness on the theme of soils for nutrition with the motto ‘Soils, where food begin’. Stay tune as the campaign will kick-start early September. Join us all on 5th of December for an unforgettable celebration! → World Soil Day website
HAVE YOUR SAY!
Your opinion means a lot to us and we welcome your feedback on whether the Symposium met your expectations. This information will allow us to improve for future global symposia, so we would appreciate your sincerity and constructive comments. → Access the questionnaire
RESOURCES
GSOIL4N WEBSITE: العربية | 中文 | English | Français | Русский | Español
RECORDINGS AND PRESENTATIONS: here
PRESS RELEASE “Soils, where food begin”: العربية | 中文 | English | Français | Русский | Español
WEBSTORY “Saving our soils by all earthly ways possible”: العربية | 中文 | English | Français | Русский | Español
WEBCAST OF THE PLENARY SESSIONS and PARALLEL SESSIONS Watch here
COMMUNICATION PACKAGE: Download here
MULTIMEDIA:
o Healthy soils: the foundation of healthy food and a better environment;
o Bricks for life – Fossick project
SOCIAL MEDIA: Keep the conversation moving on social media using the hashtag #Soils4Nutrition and the resources on the Trello board.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at: GSOIL4N@fao.org.
Kind regards
GSP Secretariat
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Global Soil Partnership Secretariat
FAO | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Website: http://www.fao.org/global-soil-partnership/en/
Email: GSP-Secretariat@fao.org and GSOIL4N@fao.org.
This post will expire on Friday September 16th, 2022 9:25am
