On this year’s World Soil Day, Wednesday 5 December 2018, the Kingdom of Thailand launched the Centre of Excellence for Soil Research in Asia (CESRA). The establishment of the research center, located in Nakhton Ratchasima’s Pak Chong district, is part of the regional implementation plan of the Asian Soil Partnership (ASP) endorsed by ASP member countries in December 2016. Its mission is to support the execution of the Asian Soil Partnership implementation plan with focus on regional soil research priorities. 

This week, we sat down with Dr. Rosa Poch, to find out more on her career and expectations from the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS). Rosa Poch is the current Chair of the ITPS for the next three years, an agricultural engineer with a PhD in Soil Science and a Professor of Soil Science at the University of Lleida. 

The first World Soil Day Award was given on Wednesday 5 Dec. 2017 to Practical Action Bangladesh, for organizing the most outstanding World Soil Day event in 2017

Professor Rattan Lal, mentioned by Reuters as part of the World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds in 2015 and 2016, won the 3rd edition of the Glinka World Soil Prize on the occasion of World Soil Day, 5 December 2018, for his outstanding contribution to sustainable soil management and the protection of soil resources. The award includes a monetary prize of $15,000, which Professor Lal is donating to an endowment to support the Carbon Management and Sequestration Center.  

FAO project aims to enhance farmers’ skills in assessing soil conditions and strengthen capacities of national soil laboratories