Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Cristine Morgan, 979-845-3603, cmorgan@ag.tamu.edu
COLLEGE STATION – The Global Soil Security Symposium will be held May 19-21 on the Texas A&M University campus as a part of the declaration of 2015 as the International Year of Soils by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s Global Soil Partnership.
Dr. Cristine Morgan, Texas A&M department of soil and crop sciences professor and a co-chair for the event, said the program will be full of experts and innovative thinkers from a range of disciplines, including agricultural and resource economics.
The International Union of Soil Scientists, Soil Science Society of America, Texas A&M and others will host the three-day discussion. The symposium will open the morning of May 19 addressing global challenges and soil security and then spend time covering the five dimensions of soil security: capability, condition, capital, connectivity and codification.
“The Year of Soil is an opportunity for recognizing the importance of soil science in our current global challenges of human health, food and water security, and the role of soil in biodiversity under a changing climate,” Morgan said.
She said conference participants will contribute chapters to a book on soil security, and the conference organizers and volunteers will develop a document summarizing the soil security symposia.
“Our goal is to further develop the concept of soil security and to work toward assessment and implementation strategies,” Morgan said.
Registration will be: professional, $395 until April 7 and $495 after; and graduate students, $195 until April 7 and $245 after.
Registration and abstract submission are open at https://www.soils.org/meetings/global-soil-security .
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