The four-day Global Soils Conference 2024 was inaugurated in New Delhi on 19 November 2024 and will be held from 19 to 22 November 2024. The conference, which is the apex global platform for world soil scientists and stakeholders, provides a platform for the stakeholders- government, scientists, industry leaders, farmers, etc. to discuss various issues regarding the importance of soils and to find a solution to concerns about the issue of soil degradation and its sustainable management.
The Global Soils Conference is being organised by the Indian Society of Soil Science, New Delhi, under the aegis of the International Union of Soil Sciences, Italy, with the collaboration of the New Delhi-based Indian Council of Agricultural Research and the National Academy of Agricultural Science.
Professor Ramesh Chand, a Member of the NITI Aayog, was the chief guest, and he inaugurated the Global Soil Conference.
Later, the Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, virtually addressed the conference.
Prof.Ramesh Chand, Dr. Himashu Pathak, Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, and Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra, chairperson of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority, were present on the occasion.
“Caring Soils Beyond Food Security: Climate Change Mitigation and Ecosystem Services” was the 2024 Global Soils Conference theme.
The Global Soils Conference will deliberate on managing Soils, which directly or indirectly produce 95 % of the global food.
With the human population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, sustainable management of soil resources worldwide will be key to feeding the population and addressing the global problems related to food insecurity, food shortage, malnutrition, and poverty.
The Conference will aim to find a solution to these problems.
The International Union of Soil Sciences is the global body of soil scientists.
It promotes scientific research in all branches of soil sciences and its application.
The International Union of Soil Sciences was founded as the International Society of Soil Science on 19 May 1924,
Headquarters: Rome, Italy
It was established by the British as the Imperial Council of Agricultural Research on 16 July 1929.
Later, it was renamed the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and made an autonomous body under the Union Ministry for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
ICAR is the Apex national body for research and education in agriculture, fisheries, horticulture, and animal sciences.
Headquarters: New Delhi
The National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) was established in 1990 by the government of India.
The Academy focuses on crop farming, animal husbandry, fisheries, agroforestry, and the interface between agriculture and agroindustry.
It provides a forum for Agricultural Scientists to deliberate on important agricultural research, education, and extension issues.
It also presents the scientific community's views as policy inputs to planners and decision/opinion makers at various levels.
Headquarters: New Delhi