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Event
20 May 2015

S.O.S. – Save Our Soils

Photo: Georgina Smith/CIAT via Flickr CC BY 2.0

Photo: Georgina Smith/CIAT via Flickr CC BY 2.0

Throughout history the rise and fall of human civilizations have been closely connected to the way we treat – or mistreat – the living soils of our planet. The way we manage our soils plays a vital role for ensuring food security, combating climate change and supporting ecosystem functions. However, many soils are still managed unsustainably, resulting in widespread and rapid soil degradation, which puts our capacity to meet the needs of future generations at risk.

Soils are full of ever-changing life. The uppermost meter of the world’s top soil stores more carbon than the global atmosphere and soil management is of crucial importance to ensure that carbon is sequestered in, rather than lost from, soils.

More than one billion people are employed in the agricultural sector, representing one in every three workers worldwide. Their livelihoods depend on productive and nutrient rich soils that can provide enough food and guarantee sustainable incomes. As world population grows and food production demand rises, it is of increasing importance to keep soils healthy, productive and capable of sequestering carbon. So how do we protect global soils from eroding? How do we keep them healthy? This seminar seeks to address these and other soil related questions by creating a space for discussion between scientists and practitioners, who battle with soil degradation every day.

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Our media partner for this event is The Organic Stream. The Organic Stream (formerly known as Compostory.org) is dedicated to packaging an unprecedented online learning platform for local governments, agriculture and businesses in effort to bring their influencers up to speed on the subject matter of soil and human health.

Times

From 20 May 2015 at 07:00 to 20 May 2015 at 11:00

Venue

Palladium, Södergatan 15

Resources

Downloads
Relevant Content

12 June 2015

Video

Why have we neglected our soils for so long? Briefing with David Montgomery at S.O.S. event

The Save Our Soils seminar provided a platform to address the great challenges we face and highlight the exciting opportunities we have in preserving our soils – from tackling erosion and food...

12 June 2015

Video

SIANI involvement in the #IYS2015. Briefing with Melinda Fones Sundell at S.O.S. event

The Save Our Soils seminar provided a platform to address the great challenges we face and highlight the exciting opportunities we have in preserving our soils – from tackling erosion and food...

12 June 2015

Video

What is hummus and soil carbon content? Briefing with Rattan Lal at S.O.S. event

The Save Our Soils seminar provided a platform to address the great challenges we face and highlight the exciting opportunities we have in preserving our soils – from tackling erosion and food...

12 June 2015

Video

What are perrenial crops and what do they do? Briefing with Sten Stymne at S.O.S. event

The Save Our Soils seminar provided a platform to address the great challenges we face and highlight the exciting opportunities we have in preserving our soils – from tackling erosion and food...

2 June 2015

Slides

Loosing ground – The historic links between soil erosion and the fall of civilizations

Presented by David R. Montgomery at the seminar Save Our Soils on May 20, 2015. 

2 June 2015

Slides

The living soil – An introduction to the global scientific frontline of soil microbiology, and sustainable management of soil

Presented by Mary Scholes at the seminar Save Our Soils on May 20 in Malmö, Sweden. 

2 June 2015

Slides

Six feet under. How soil microbial life works to bury atmospheric carbon – and how management can make them sequester more carbon

Presented by Rattan Lal at the seminar Save Our Soils on May 20, 2015 in Malmö, Sweden. 

3 June 2015

Slides

Saving our Soils How different agricultural practices affect soil health

Presented by Katarina Hedlund at the seminar "Save our Soils" on May 20 in Malmö, Sweden. 

5 June 2015

Slides

Breeding for life. How perennial crops keep the soil in place, increase fertility and sequester carbon in the soil

Presented by Sten Stymne at the seminar "Save our Soils" in Malmö, Sweden on May 20, 2015.

Agenda

Programme:

Moderator: Peter Sylwan, Science journalist

  • 09.00 Welcome and introduction, Mätta Ivarsson, Region Skåne
  • 09.15  Losing ground.The historic links between soil erosion and the fall of civilizations, David R. Montgomery, Professor of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington in Seattle
  • 09.45 The living soil. An introduction to the global scientific frontline of soil microbiology, and sustainable management of soil. Mary Scholes, Professor at School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, South Africa
  • 10.15 Six feet under. How soil microbial life works to bury atmospheric carbon – and how management can make them sequester more carbon, Rattan Lal, Professor of Soil Science, Director of the Carbon Management and Sequestration Center, Ohio State University
  • 10.45 Break
  • 11.15 Saving our Soils How different agricultural practices affect soil health, Katarina Hedlund, Professor, Centre for Environmental and Climate Research, Lund University
  • 11.45 Breeding for life. How perennial crops keep the soil in place, increase fertility and sequester carbon in the soil, Sten Stymne, Professor, Department of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
  • 12.15 Panel discussion on application: Comments from practitioners, international agencies, aid organizations and policy makers,Panel discussion on application: Comments from practitioners, international agencies, aid organizations and policy makers: Henrik Brundin, Vi-skogen, Mätta Ivarsson, Region Skåne, Enar Magnusson, Findus, Robert Paulsson, Swedish Board of Agriculture, Henrik Smith, Lund University.
  • 13.00 Closing remarks

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