International experts convened in Texas for a United States Studies Centre, Dow Sustainability Program supported conference on the rapidly evolving field of soil security.
The inaugural Global Soil Security Symposium, hosted by Texas A&M University, discussed how maintaining and improving soil quality will help the world to achieve food and water security, contribute to climate regulation, and improve human health.
The conference addressed the five dimensions of soil security.
The director of the Centre’s Soil Carbon Initiative Andrea Koch, who was a member of the conference organising committee, said the conference marked an important step forward in the international soil policy dialogue.
“Soil security is increasingly being recognised as a crucial part of securing our agricultural future and this conference will be addressing the challenges and opportunities we face going forward”, she said.
1. GLOBAL CHALLENGES AND SOIL SECURITY
Save the Soil to Save the Planet
Michael Jeffery, Advocate for Soil Health, Australian Government (former Governor General; Major General, Australian Defence Force [retd]), Australia
United States Soil Policy
David Smith, Deputy Chief for Soil Science and Resource Assessment, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), US Department of Agriculture, USA
Securing Soil, Food, and Energy Production in Agroecosystems
Julie Borlaug, Assistant Director of Partnerships, The Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, USA
Soil-Water-Food Security Nexus
Rabi Mohtar, TEES Endowed Professor, Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering, Texas A&M University, USA
Soil Security: Rationale
Alex McBratney, Professor of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Sydney, Australia
Energy and Economic Value of Soil
Bruce McCarl, Regents Professor & Distinguished Professor of Agricultural Economics, Nobel Laureate, Texas A&M University, USA
Human Health and Soils
Florence Carré, European Research Program Coordinator, Scientific Division, Industrial Safety and Environmental Protection (INERIS), France
How Soil Security is Important to Biodiversity
Helaina Black, Ecological Sciences Group Leader, The James Hutton Institute, UK
The Anthropocene
Haly Neely, Assistant Professor, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University, USA
Soil Security: Dimensions
Damien Field, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Sydney, Australia
OECD Co-operative Research Programme, Biological Resource Management for Sustainable Agricultural Systems
Vangimalla Reddy, CRP Research Theme Coordinator, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development OECD, (Research Leader, Agricultural Research Service ARS, US Department of Agriculture), USA
2. DIMENSION 1: CAPABILITY
Soil Capability: Exploring the Functional Potentials of Different Soils
Johan Bouma, Professor Emeritus, Wageningen University, The Netherlands
Soil Capability for the United States Now and Into the Future
David Smith, Deputy Chief for Soil Science and Resource Assessment, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), US Department of Agriculture
The Value of Soil Capability in Land Surface Modeling
Cristine Morgan, Professor, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University, USA
Links Between Soil Security and the Influence of Human Health
Erik Brevik, Professor and Chair, Dept. of Natural Sciences, Dickson State University, USA
A Framework to Link Soil Security with Sustainable Land Management Practices and Land Evaluation
Brian Murphy, Visiting Fellow, Australian National University, Australia
Predicting the Intrinsic Capacity of Terrestrial Carbon Storage Using an Integrative Approach
Sabine Grunwald, Professor, Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida, USA
Soil Capability from Global Digital Soil Mapping
Alex McBratney, Professor of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Sydney, Australia
3. DIMENSION 2: CONDITION
Imperatives and Opportunities for Enhancing Soil Health
Wayne Honeycutt, Deputy Chief for Science and Technology, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), US Department of Agriculture, USA
Sustainable Global Soil Security: Enhancing On-Farm Soil Quality Performance through Industrial-Scale Data Science and Precision Ag. Technologies
Pradip Das, Principal Researcher, Experimental Sciences, The Climate Corporation, USA
General Concepts of Valuing and Caring for Soil
Alex McBratney, Professor of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Sydney, Australia
Indicators to Promote Ecological Intensification of Agriculture
Michelle Wander, Professor, Department Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA
Introduction to the New Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Soil Health Division
Bianca Moebius-Clune, Director, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), US Department of Agriculture, USA
Root-Microbe Interactions in Response to Soil Conditions
Anil Somenhally, Assistant Professor, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, USA
Strategies to Improve Soil Condition in Semi-Arid Cropping Systems
Paul DeLaune, Assistant Professor, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, USA
Soil Organic Carbon Stock and Respiration in Tropical Secondary Forests in Southern Mexico
Deb Raj Aryal, Professor, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Universidad Intercultural Maya de Quintana Roo, Mexico
Distinguishing between Condition and Capability
Damien Field, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Agriculture & Environment, The University of Sydney, Australia
Soil Health of the Western U.S. Grazinglands
Dianne Stott, Soil Scientist, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), US Department of Agriculture, USA
Cover Crop Effects on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen under Bioenergy Sorghum Crops
Upendra Sainju, Research Soil Scientist, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), US Department of Agriculture, USA
Degraded Sandstone and Siltstone-Derived Soils in Northeast Thailand: The Attempts to Improve Their Quality
Somchai Anusontpornperm, Head, Department of Soil Science, Kasetsart University, Thailand
Securing Our Soil in Intense Monoculture Cropping Systems
Katie Lewis, Assistant Professor, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, USA
Simulating Impacts of Bioenergy Sorghum Residue Return on Aboveground Biomass Carbon, Soil Organic Carbon, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Yong Wang, Ph.D. Student, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, USA
Using Soil Survey to Assess and Predict Soil Condition and Change
Skye Wills, Soil Scientist, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), US Department of Agriculture, USA
4. DIMENSION 3: CAPITAL
The Dollars and Cents of Soil Health
Chuck Benbrook, Research Professor, Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, Washington State University, USA
Linking Changes in Soil Condition to the Capability of Soils to Perform Ecosystem Services
Estelle Dominati, Research Scientist, Land & Environment Group, AgResearch, New Zealand
Economics of Land Degradation Contribution to Soil Security in Eurasia
Pavel Krasilnikov, Head, Land Resources Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia
The Meta Soil Model: An Integrative Multi-Model Framework for Soil Security
Sabine Grunwald, Professor, Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida, USA
The Value of Global Soil Ecosystem Services
Alex McBratney, Professor of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Sydney, Australia
The Value of Embedded Soil Knowledge
Dianna Bagnall, Project Manager, Corporate Relations, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, USA
Integrative Ecosystem Service Assessment Using Bayesian Belief Networks
Sabine Grunwald, Professor, Soil and Water Science Dept., University of Florida, USA
The Economic Cost of Soil Contamination
Florence Carré, European Research Program Coordinator, Scientific Division, Industrial Safety and Environmental Protection (INERIS), France
Social Licensing
Cristine Morgan, Professor, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University, USA
5. DIMENSION 4: CODIFICATION
Agricultural Soil and Water Productivities: Tradeoffs and Policies
Theib Oweis, Director, Integrated Water & Land Management Program, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Lebanon
The Place of Soil in International Government Policy
The Hon. Robert Hill, Professor, United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, (formerly Chancellor, University of Adelaide; Senator for South Australia; Minister for Environment; Minister for Defence; Ambassador to the United Nations), Australia
Translating Soil Science Knowledge to Public Policy
Luca Montanarella, Program Leader Soil, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Italy
How National Issues and Soil Security Link with Policy
Andrea Koch, Project Manager, Soil Carbon Initiative, United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, Australia
Soil, Climate, and Policy
Mike Grundy, Research Director, Agriculture Flagship, Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation CSIRO, Australia
U.S. Farm Programs and the Impacts on National and International Soil Security
Katina Hanson, Senior Policy Analyst, Farm Service Agency, Farm and Foreign Agriculture Services, US Department of Agriculture, USA
U.S. Agricultural Strategies for Climate Resilience in a Changing Landscape
Carolyn Olson, Senior Scientist, Climate Change Program Office, Office of the Chief Economist, US Department of Agriculture, USA
Protection of the Soil Resource in the Brazilian Environmental Legislation
Tiago Broetto, PhD. Student, Soil Department, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Creating Incentives for Improved Soil Health through the U.S. Federal Crop Insurance Program
Lara Bryant, Soil Health Fellow, Natural Resources Defense Council, USA
Securitisation
Alex. McBratney, Professor of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Sydney, Australia
6. DIMENSION 5: CONNECTIVITY
Soil Renaissance and the Connection to Land Managers
William Buckner, President & Chief Executive Officer, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, USA
How to Enumerate Soil Capability Regarding Human Health: Examples and Ideas
Jae Yang, Professor of Soil Environmental Chemistry, Dept. of Biological Environment, Kangwon National University, Republic of Korea
Whose “Security” is Important? Communicating Risk about Soil to a Diverse Population
Ronald G. Amundso, Professor, Environmental Science and Policy Management, University of California Berkley, USA
Securing Our Soil Data, Information and Knowledge: The Key to Soil Security
Peter Wilson, Manager National Soil Information, Land and Water Flagship, CSIRO, Australia
Restoration of Grassland Ecosystem Function and Socio-Ecological Resilience
Richard Teague , Associate Resident Director and Professor, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, USA
Soil Aesthetics – an Undervalued Dimension of Soil Security?
Richard MacEwan, Senior Scientist, Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning, Australia
Soil-Water-Food Nexus: A Public Policy Perspective
Kent Portney, Professor, George Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University, USA
The Sixth Dimension of Soil Security: Ideas from Integral Ecology
Christopher Clingensmith, Lab Manager of Pedometrics, Landscape Analysis & GIS Laboratory, Soil and Water Science Dept., University of Florida
Applying the Meta Soil Model: The Connections Between Soil and Water Security in a Permanent Protection Area in Brazil
Marcos Bacis Ceddia Sr., Soil Department, Agronomy Institute, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The Role of Master Gardeners in Providing Soil Knowledge for Gardening to the Public
Josephine Levtevidal, Master Gardner, University of South Florida, USA
Event co-sponsors
Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, The University of Sydney, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, The International Union of Soil Sciences, Borlaug Institute, Soil Science Society of America, United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service
