Division: Special Sessions

Title: Symposium--Restoring Soil Health - Local Actions, Global Implications, Partnering for Solutions

Lead Community Sponsor:
Cosponsor: Soil & Water Management & Conservation, Soil Biology & Biochemistry, Land Management & Conservation, Environmental Quality
Community Cosponsor: Cover Crop Management Community, Soil Health Community
Format: Oral Symposium
Keywords:

Session Description: Soil health can be described as the state of soil in sustaining plant and animal productivity while maintaining a wide variety of other ecosystem services and supporting human health and welfare. In this International Year of Soils (IYS), the UN General Assembly recognized that soils are key in sustaining life. A major focus of the IYS is on ‘Healthy Soils for a Healthy Life.’ However, in many areas soil health has been compromised by natural and anthropogenic activities that have reduced the ability of the soil to function at its greatest potential. This special session will focus on methods and practices for restoring soils in poor health. This will require measurements of current soil health using indicators and methods that assist in diagnosing problems that need attention.  Restoring soil health will require local actions to mitigate deleterious influences through partnerships as well as individual activities. Successful actions in restoring soil health will have global implications.

Sponsored by The Climate Corp.

Approved for 3.5 SW CEUs.