Soil Science Society of China and Soil Science Society of America Jointly Hosted a Webinar on Soil Health
On 5 December 2023, the Soil Science Society of China (SSSC) and the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) hosted a joint webinar on soil health to celebrate the World Soil Day 2023 and foster international collaboration and knowledge exchange in the field of soil sciences. The online event featured 11 scientists who deliberated on global soil health issues and garnered an audience of over 3,800 viewers.
The opening ceremony was overseen by Prof. Xiaoyuan Yan, Vice President and Secretary General of SSSC, and the opening statementwas delivered by Associate Prof. Wei Zhang, US Chair of the SSSA-SSSC Collaboration Committee. Academician Prof. Jiabao Zhang, President of the SSSC, and Prof. Michael Thompson, President-elect of the SSSA, delivered welcome speeches. Both emphasized the collaborative effort between SSSC and SSSA as a testament to their shared commitment to promoting global awareness and a greater understanding of soil health issues, which is crucial for the achievement of 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 the Research Center for Eco-environmental Sciences, CAS; “Factors influencing soil health and benchmarking approaches” by Prof. Harold van Es former president of SSSA from Cornell University; “Community assembly and functional regulation of soil microorganisms and animals in farmland” by Prof. Yuji Jiang from ISSCAS and “The Soil Health Assessment Protocol and Evaluation (SHAPE): A national approach” by Prof. Kristen Veum President-elect of the American Society of Agronomyfrom USDA-Agricultural Research Service.
Prof.Yongguan Zhu, Vice President of the SSSC, delivered the concluding remarks, in which he highlighted the key points discussed and their significance, followed by the proposal of future research topics to further the partnership between SSSC and SSSA.
About the SSSC-SSSA membership
As part of their thecollaboration, both societies provide their members the opportunity to obtain joint membership in the SSSC and SSSA, which can be applied for using the following links:
