It
is well known that soil provides almost all basic requirements
for life. It supplies essential elements for plant growth and
reproduction. Healthy soil underpins crop production and functioning
of a wide range of ecosystem services and environment. Over
a long period of time, soils have been extensively utilized
to serve several purposes. As a result, at present, an emerging
of land degradation and land use conflict is remarkable. Though
people know the increasing challenge to achieving future food
security, they seem not to do enough to conserve and protect
this precious resource from degradation and declining of soil
productivity. Moreover, this also has brought about unprecedented
changes of the environment such as global warming or climate
changes. Synergistic approach as well as integrated sustainable
management is a deal for scientists and extension workers to
put in place and should be agreed by decision makers and land
users. To achieve such deal, they basically require tangible
contribution of all stakeholders. Thus, it is the duty of soil
scientists to call up on the implementation of appropriate technologies,
exchanging of successful experience and knowledge sharing. In
addition, the policy or decision makers need to find the ways
to public participation for taking effective measures to conserve
our soil resources. How to do this is one of challenging debates
among the participants in the conference.
Land Development Department (LDD), a long-standing government
agency under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives of
Thailand who successfully runs a well known Volunteer Soil-Doctor
Program and promotes sustainable soil management for food security
and well being of farmers, would cordially invite scientists
from developing and developed countries, academia, practitioners,
policy makers, and interested persons to participate in the
International Conference on Sustainable Uses of Soil in Harmony
with Food Security. This conference is a part of activities
to celebrate the International Year of Soils (IYS) as declared
by the United Nations, aiming to welcome contribution of oral
presentations and posters from delegates to exchange views and
experience in relation to sustainable uses of soils to secure
food production of our societies. |
