5 December 2024 the National Scientific Centre ‘Institute for Soil Science and Agrochemistry Research named after O.N. Sokolovsky‘ held the International Scientific and Practical Conference ’Caring for Soils in War and Peace: Status, Monitoring and Management‘‘, which was joined by more than 200 participants from around the world.
The event is dedicated to World Soil Day 2024 and is registered on the UN Interactive Global Event Map (FAO). Conference organisers: National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, National Scientific Centre ‘Institute for Soil Science and Agrochemistry Research named after O.N. Sokolovsky‘, State Biotechnological University, Public organisation "Ukrainian Society of Soil Scientists and Agrochemists". The conference was held online on the ZOOM platform and a livestream on the Institute's Facebook.
The welcoming speeches were made by Anatolii Zaryshniak, Vice President of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, Academician of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, who noted the role of agricultural science in the scientific support of the restoration and introduction of the land affected by military operations into agricultural production. Head of the North-Eastern Scientific Centre of the National Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine Volodymyr Semynozhenko, Acting Director of the Department of Agricultural Development of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration Kostiantyn Panfilov. The opening ceremony was also attended by representatives of international organisations: Past President of the International Union of Soil Sciences (2023-2024), Laura Bertha Reyes Sanchez (Mexico), Chair of the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS) Rosa Poch (Spain).
During the conference, 3 sections were held in the following areas: 1) The impact of military operations on soil resources of Ukraine, restoration measures; 2) Adaptation of agricultural technologies to climate change and current land conditions; 3) Monitoring, standarisation and measurement.
Speakers from international organisations were: Paulo Alexandre da Silva Pereira - Full Professor in Environmental Science, Head of the Environmental Management Centre, Mykolas Romeris University, Lithuania; Dr. Bruce Lascelles - President Elect of the International Union of Soil Sciences (2024), Director for Climate Smart and Sustainable Land Management at Arcadis Consulting Ltd., the UK; Dr David O'Connor - Associate Professor in Sustainable Land Management, Royal Agricultural University, the UK; Anastasia Splodytel - PhD in Geological Sciences, Department of Soil Science, Institute of Geoecology, Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany.
In these and other reports presented at the conference, Ukrainian scientists revealed the scale of degradation processes in Ukraine's soils and agricultural landscapes, which require a combination of lawmaking, scientific thought and practical implementation to restore their condition. The scientists emphasise the need to introduce innovative technologies in the agricultural sector, irrigation and water management, and modern crop fertilisation systems into agricultural production on undamaged land. The participants raise the issue of the need to control soil quality using the national regulatory framework, outlines the prospects for the development of a soil measurement and monitoring system, as well as their harmonisation with the requirements of the new European legislation.
Representatives of research institutions, higher education institutions and private enterprises took part in the discussion.
In the final report, Sviatoslav Baliuk, Academician of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, Head of the NSC ISSAR, outlined the main strategic priorities in the field of monitoring, regulation and management of soil resources in Ukraine at the legislative, regulatory, information and technological levels in the context of war and post-war recovery.
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