Soil Science Society of China and Soil Science Society of America Jointly Hosted a Webinar on Soil Health
Screenshot of SSSC-SSSA webinar participants
The Soil Science Society of China (SSSC) and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) hosted a joint webinar on soil health on 5 December 2023 to celebrate World Soil Day and foster international collaboration and knowledge exchange in the field of soil science. The online event featured 11 scientists who deliberated on global soil health issues and garnered an audience of over 3,800 viewers.
Associate Prof. Wei Zhang, the US Chair of the SSSA-SSSC Collaboration Committee, made an opening statement. Prof. Xiaoyuan Yan, the Executive Vice President and Secretary General of SSSC, who moderated the opening ceremony. Academician Prof. Jiabao Zhang, President of SSSC, and Prof. Michael Thompson, President-elect of SSSA, delivered welcome speeches on behalf of SSSC and SSSA, respectively. Both emphasized the collaborative effort between SSSC and SSSA as a testament to their shared commitment to promoting global awareness and understanding of soil health, which is crucial for food security and climate change mitigation.
Prof. Elizabeth Rieke from the Soil Health Institute of the United States and Prof. Fang Wang, Chair of the international collaboration working committee of SSSC, presided over a session of scientific presentations on soil health from various perspectives. The presentations included topics such as "Soil health in the black soil region of Northeast China" by Prof. Limei Zhang from Research Center for Eco-environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences; "Factors influencing soil health and benchmarking approaches" by Prof. Harold van Es from Cornell University, former president of SSSA; "Community assembly and functional regulation of soil microorganisms and animals in farmland" by Prof. Yuji Jiang from Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences; and "The Soil Health Assessment Protocol and Evaluation (SHAPE): A national approach" by Prof. Kristen Veum from USDA-Agricultural Research Service, President-elect of American Society of Agronomy.
Finally, Academician Prof. Yongguan Zhu, Vice President of the SSSC delivered a concluding remarks. He highlighted the key points discussed and their significance, and proposed the future research topics to further the partnership between SSSC and SSSA.
