FAO suggests methods to help soils overcome pollution

The St. Petersburg State University hosted an international conference devoted to “Food Security, Soils and Human Capital in Soil Science” that opened today in the Russian Northern capital. The two-day forum will celebrate World Soil Day 2018 and raise awareness on the critical role of soil in our lives. The theme of this year’s campaign is “Be the Solution to Soil Pollution”.

The participants of the forum discussed the importance of soil organic matter in addressing two global challenges: increasing agricultural productivity for improved food security and mitigating climate change through carbon fixation in agriculture soils.

The event was organized by FAO and the Russian Federation, together with the Eurasian Center for Food Security of Lomonosov Moscow State University, Dokuchaev Central Soil Museum, St. Petersburg State University, World Bank, and other.

The main anthropogenic sources of soil pollution are chemicals used in or produced as byproducts of industrial activities, domestic, livestock and municipal wastes (including wastewater), agrochemicals, and petroleum-derived products.

These chemicals are released into the environment either accidentally, from oil spills or leaching from landfills, or intentionally, as in the case of fertilizers and pesticides, irrigation with untreated wastewater, or land application of sewage sludge.

New concerns are being raised about emerging pollutants such as pharmaceuticals, endocrine disruptors, hormones and toxins, among others, and biological pollutants, such as micropollutants in soils, which include bacteria and viruses.

“This year, in parallel with our World Soil Day celebration, the Russian Federation committed to a second generous contribution for the activities of the Global Soil Partnership,” said Aghasi Harutyunyan, Officer-in-Charge of the FAO Liaison Office in Moscow. “The considerable progress that the Partnership has made since its establishment in 2011 was possible thanks to the strong continued support of member countries, foremost among them the Russian Federation.”

“This is also the third year when the Glinka Soil Prize, promoted and sponsored by the Russian Federation, will be awarded at FAO's headquarters in Rome. The Prize honors individuals and organizations whose leadership and activities have contributed, or are still contributing to the promotion of sustainable soil management and the protection of soil resources,” added Harutyunyan.

Rosa Cuevas, FAO expert with the Global Soil Partnership, addressed the audience at the plenary session on the state of world soil resources on the sustainable development agenda, and conducted master classes for young scientists on the state of world soil resources and existing challenges.

“Soils act as a sponge and filter for contaminants. Yet, soil’s potential to cope with pollution is limited. Pollution causes a chain of degradation processes in soil, jeopardazing soil’s ability to provide key ecosystem services,” Cuevas said.

This chain includes reductions of soil organic carbon, nutrient availability, soil biodiversity, crop productivity followed by degradation of soil structure and increased run-off and erosion.

The sad truth is that “human activities are the main source of soil polution.” For instance, 80 percent of our waste is not being recycled and ends up in landfills. The urgency of the state of affairs demands to “raise awareness on the threats posed by soil pollution to human health, the environment, and ecosystem services,” emphasized Rosa Cuevas.

The following reports were delivered by keynote speakers at the conference: “Soil resources in Russia: current challenges”; “Opportunities for applied soil and agroecological research in Russia”; “Soil science and food security in the Eurasia region: experience of ECFS” (Eurasian center for food security of Lomonosov Moscow state University); “Human capital in soil science in Central Asia and the South Caucasus”; “The Role of Soil Science and Agronomy in Africa for Improving Food Security”; “Soil quality improvement to ensure food security in China”, etc.

Specialists also assessed the efficiency of digital technologies’ implementation in agriculture and the state of soil information in Russia and in the world. The following issues were addressed: How can digital technologies in soil science contribute to the development of agriculture in Russia? How can digital technologies and accessible soil information help increase the efficiency of farms?

In the course of the conference representatives of soil-focused academic institutions debated the issues: What skills soil scientists need to have in order to resolve existing challenges and improve food security in different regions of the world. Is it important that food policy experts, agronomists, conservationists, ecologists, biologists etc. have knowledge and expertise in soil science and why?

Academics specializing in soils research and experts in this field from Russia, Armenia, Indonesia, Italy, Cambodia, China, USA, Thailand and South Africa attended the St. Petersburg conference.

The Glinka World Soil Prize winner announced

During the World Soil Day ceremony, the Glinka World Soil Prize 2018 was awarded to Professor Rattan Lal, the President of the International Union of Soil Science (IUSS), for his outstanding contribution to sustainable soil management.

Professor Lal has been listed among the World's Most Influential Scientific Minds (2012) and among the top one percent of all researchers in agriculture. His scientific work has notably contributed to soil organic carbon restoration and improvement of soil structure but also played a major role in converting science into policy and decision-making.

The Glinka World Soil Prize, named after the pioneering Russian scientist Konstantin D. Glinka, was established by the Global Soil Partnership with the support of the Russian Federation in 2016 and honours individuals and organizations whose leadership and activities have contributed to the promotion of sustainable soil management and the protection of soil resources.

This year the Russian Federation has also approved the financial contribution of $2 million to support the activities of the Global Soil Partnership in its second phase (2018-2020).