Soil Science Around the Globe – Issues, Intervention, and Opportunities.

In celebrating 2015 as the International Year of Soils, global communities have come together to recognize the shared importance of one of our most critical natural resources – SOIL! Too often, farmers or researchers focus exclusively on challenges confronting them in their own small part of the world. To be sure, effective strategies have been developed by such for optimizing soil resources using available technology and practices in their locality. However, much can be learned from exploration of soil issues beyond one’s home national borders. This presentation is a retrospective over threats to effective soil use and land management observed worldwide, along with approaches that may be useful in solving these challenges. Case studies from Haiti, Romania, South Africa, and the United States (Alaska, Texas) are presented for discussion. Topics for dialogue include deforestation, nutrient depletion, composting, industrial pollution/reclamation, farming/land management practices, coastal erosion, carbon sequestration, and soil salinization.