- The four-day Global Soils Conference 2024 was inaugurated in New Delhi on 19 November 2024 and will be held from 19 to 22 November 2024.
- The conference, which is the apex global platform for world soil scientists and stakeholders, provides a platform for the stakeholders- government, scientists, industry leaders, farmers, etc. to discuss various issues regarding the importance of soils and to find a solution to concerns about the issue of soil degradation and its sustainable management.
- “Caring Soils Beyond Food Security: Climate Change Mitigation and Ecosystem Services” was the 2024 Global Soils Conference theme.
Agenda of the Conference
- The Global Soils Conference will deliberate on managing Soils, which directly or indirectly produce 95 % of the global food.
- With the human population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, sustainable management of soil resources worldwide will be key to feeding the population and addressing the global problems related to food insecurity, food shortage, malnutrition, and poverty.
- The Conference will aim to find a solution to these problems.
International Union of Soil Sciences
- The International Union of Soil Sciences is the global body of soil scientists.
- It promotes scientific research in all branches of soil sciences and its application.
- The International Union of Soil Sciences was founded as the International Society of Soil Science on 19 May 1924,
- Headquarters: Rome, Italy
Indian Council of Agricultural Research(ICAR)
- It was established by the British as the Imperial Council of Agricultural Research on 16 July 1929.
- Later, it was renamed the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and made an autonomous body under the Union Ministry for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
- ICAR is the Apex national body for research and education in agriculture, fisheries, horticulture, and animal sciences.
- Headquarters: New Delhi
National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS)
- The National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) was established in 1990 by the government of India.
- The Academy focuses on crop farming, animal husbandry, fisheries, agroforestry, and the interface between agriculture and agroindustry.
- It provides a forum for Agricultural Scientists to deliberate on important agricultural research, education, and extension issues.
- It also presents the scientific community’s views as policy inputs to planners and decision/opinion makers at various levels.
- Headquarters: New Delhi