As the global population is projected to rise to 9.1 billion by 2050, i.e., an estimated 34 per cent increase from current levels. Food insecurity remains a pressing global issue, as per the UN reports. Approximately 95 per cent of the world’s food production is either directly or indirectly dependent on soil resources. Hence, sustainable soil management is increasingly recognised as a critical socio-economic and environmental priority.
Despite ongoing efforts from researchers and policymakers to address soil quality challenges, issues such as nutrient depletion, soil degradation, and declining soil fertility continue to threaten food production and ecosystem stability. The link between soil health and broader global challenges, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, water quality deterioration, and poverty has brought soil science to the forefront of development discourse. The ability to produce more food, fuel, and fibre using less land, without compromising diversity or ecosystem services, is essential in the current era of climate change.
To address these multifaceted challenges, the Indian Society of Soil Sciences, under the aegis of the International Union of Soil Union of Soil Sciences, Italy, collaborated with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences to organise the Global Soils Conference 2024. It was held from November 19 to 22, 2024 at the National Agricultural Science Complex (NASC), New Delhi. The conference was themed Caring for Soils beyond Food Security: Climate Change Mitigation and Ecosystem Services.
Thematic Deliberations
The conference focused on seven major themes and their corresponding sub-themes:
- Soil Health and Ecosystem Services This theme examined the assessment of soil health and its influence on ecosystem services. Soil biodiversity and nutrient cycling were discussed as integral components of sustaining ecosystem productivity.
- Climate Change and Soil Health Discussions under this theme addressed the impact of climate change on soil properties, carbon and nitrogen cycles, and water and energy footprints. Strategies for both adaptation and mitigation were explored.
- Sustainable Soil Management The sessions emphasised innovative restoration practices for degraded soils, soil management in ecologically challenged areas, the utility of agricultural and industrial waste and methods for soil pollution remediation.
- Nature-Positive Soil Management Tree-based ecological restoration and natural or organic farming systems were presented as approaches to enhancing soil resilience and ecosystem recovery.
- Digital Soil Science and Precision Resource Management Advanced digital tools, artificial intelligence, and digital soil mapping were discussed as enablers of precision agriculture and sustainable decision-making.
- Soil Education and Awareness Innovative educational strategies were examined to promote soil science among academic institutions and communities.
- Policy and Governance for Soil Management National and global policy integration, local governance, community participation, and public-private partnerships were deliberated as vital components for soil sustainability.
Some Major Recommendations
The conference offered several overarching recommendations to improve soil health and ensure long-term sustainability. Additionally, the conference issued targeted recommendations for specific sectors and interventions.
General Recommendations l Promoting practices like agroecology, conservation tillage, crop rotation and organic farming is essential to safeguard soil from erosion, nutrient loss, and contamination.
- Protection of soil biodiversity is equally important, particularly microbial communities and other soil organisms, which support fertility and resilience.
- Soil carbon sequestration has emerged as a vital tool in mitigating climate change. Techniques such as agroforestry and regenerative agriculture could significantly increase carbon storage in soils. Special emphasis was given to deep soil carbon sequestration, the sensitivity of carbon decomposition, and the stabilisation of carbon within soil aggregates.
- The need for integrated soil and water management was underscored. Sustainable water-use practices help prevent waterlogging, salinisation, and drought—all these contribute to soil degradation.
- Balanced fertilisation and adoption of integrated nutrient management (INM) were recommended as vital components of environmentally responsible agriculture. INM helps mitigate rising input costs and encourages long-term environmental impacts.
- Data generation, monitoring, and harmonisation was emphasised with a call for comprehensive soil databases and monitoring systems. It was recommended to define and assess land degradation uniformly across institutions and to invest in high-quality sensor data for mapping land degradation.
- Education and capacity building must be strengthened to improve the knowledge and skills necessary for sustainable soil management.
- Public awareness campaigns and stakeholder advocacy were proposed to highlight the central role of soil in human and environmental health.
- Policy support is crucial. Integrating soil health into national and international legal frameworks that support sustainable land use, and creating financial incentives for soil conservation and adoption of soil-friendly practices were called for. Additionally, fostering inter-ministerial collaboration for the development of a comprehensive national soil management strategy was strongly advocated.
Specific Recommendations ● There was a suggestion to include physical and biological properties in the soil health card to provide a more comprehensive evaluation.
- Abiotic stress maps should be linked with location-specific stress mitigation strategies, focusing on major stressors in key production systems.
- Hybrid models combining mechanistic approaches with machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) hold promise for evaluating the impact of multiple abiotic stresses.
- Modified tillage and residue mulch modules in tools, like InfoCrop, need validation across different agroclimatic zones to assess their adaptability under evolving climate scenarios.
- A multi-level approach to agricultural management was advised, incorporating landscape-level water management, plot/field-level soil care, village-level machinery, family-level seed availability, and panchayat-level agroforestry.
- Water-related climate adaptation strategies should be mainstreamed into infrastructure design, considering future risks.
- Regulatory measures for industrial waste discharge need to be stringent with heavy penalties for violators.
- Remediation techniques for heavy metal contamination must be standardised based on soil location, quality, and food chain involvement.
- Decentralising soil governance to empower regional and local bodies was highlighted as a means of tailoring services to rural needs.
- Advanced systems for proximal soil moisture sensing using hardware and software innovations were recommended. These systems, validated through digital soil maps and decision-support systems, could optimise irrigation and nutrient management.
- The performance of perennial rice cultivation should be evaluated through modelling and decision-support systems across agroecological zones.
- Management of ravine lands and salt-affected soils further requires tailored, cost-effective technologies for conservation and reclamation.
- Agroecological approaches should be prioritised in policy-making for land-use planning and ecosystem management.
- Wastelands must undergo strategic rehabilitation, harnessing their carbon sequestration potential.
- Soil education should be embedded into the National Education Policy (NEP) to sensitise future generations about caring soils and other natural resources for posterity to address present and future challenges like environmental issues, land degradation, climate change, etc.
- Long-term carbon-efficient practices in horticulture, such as fruit-based systems in degraded basaltic lands, were found to promote carbon sequestration and offer opportunities for carbon credits.
- It is necessary to develop standardised remediation methods for soils contaminated with heavy metals, taking into account factors such as the specific location, soil quality, the bioavailable forms of the contaminants, and their potential impact on the food chain. Such tailored approaches would help ensure long-term and effective remediation outcomes.
- Waste biomass and low-grade mineral recycling into oregano-mineral fertilizers could reduce dependence on chemical fertilizers, especially phosphorous and potassium.
- Nature-positive farming methods have proven effective in improving both yield and quality of produce on marginal lands, contributing to climate resilience and soil restoration.
- Establishing centres of excellence in natural resource management across universities could significantly aid human resource development.
- In coastal regions, diversified farming and carbon farming were recommended to bolster soil resilience and biodiversity.
- Technological integration, using soil testing data for precise nutrient delivery, drone imagery for field analytics and predictive models for optimising tillage and crop rotation, could significantly improve soil health.
- Emerging technologies such as nano-remediation, phytoremediation with gene editing, biochar application, omics technologies for soil analysis, and aerial soil mapping were recognised for their transformative potential in soil remediation and management.
- The concept of soil security was promoted, incorporating five interlinked dimensions: (i) capability, (ii) condition, (iii) capital, (iv) connectivity, and (v) codification. These reflect not only scientific and economic considerations but also policy and legal dimensions.
Conclusion
This conference served as a timely and comprehensive platform for addressing the urgent interconnected issues of soil health, food security, climate change, and ecosystem sustainability. By focusing on multi-disciplinary research, integrated policy support, community engagement, and technological innovation, the conference underscored the centrality of soil in the broader narrative of sustainable development. The recommendations emerging from this conference aim to guide future actions in agriculture, environment, and climate governance, ensuring a resilient and productive soil system for generations to come.
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