World Soil Day Conference was held on December 6, 2021. The Department of Soil Science and Engineering held this event with the efforts of the Soil Science Association of the College of Agricultural Engineering at IUT and the presence of a group of intellectuals and students. The head of Isfahan Jihad Agricultural Organization and some scholars of the Soil and Water Research Institute of Isfahan Province attended the conference, too. This conference emphasized serious changes in management approaches of soil resources as the main platform for protecting natural resources.

Mr. Mehrdad Moradmand, Head of Jihad Agricultural Organization of Isfahan Province, pointed to the strengthening of cooperation between Jihad Agricultural Research Centers and universities and talked about the key role of the cooperation of university professors about soil and agriculture. He stated that the problems of the executive branch should be given to universities so that solutions can be found with the help of prominent professors.

He talked about developing a cultivation model and updating the National Water Document to determine Isfahan’s water needs and cultivation pattern. He said that for the cultivation pattern, the conducted research has been delivered to the College of Agricultural Engineering to be reviewed and reformed, if necessary.

Prof. Dr. Mohammadali Haj Abbasi, the secretary of this event, specified that the study of soil is important in the global approach to this phenomenon and the period from 2015 to 2024 has been called “the International Decade of Soils” by the United Nations.

"Holding such conferences will help to converge the collaborating systems in agricultural and environmental research, and numerous studies are carried out on soil and water in research institutes and universities by which we can discuss problems and conduct forces properly and in specific directions in the province", Prof. Dr. Haj Abbasi said.

He explained that soil is a serious environmental phenomenon that is related to human health and pointed out that only about 9% of fertile soil in Iran is suitable for cultivation that can be used for agricultural purposes. Soil conservation is vital which has a direct impact on human health and climate. Emphasizing that human health depends on soil health, he added that if the soil is contaminated with heavy metals, there will be food poisoning; on the other hand, if we have healthy soil, the amount of carbon stored in the soil from the atmosphere decreases, and as a result, it is directly related to global warming and the greenhouse effect.

 

Every year, December 5 is designated by the United Nations as “World Soil Day” to raise public awareness about soil as a major factor in agricultural productions.