IUSS Alert - 15 (July 2006)
Information for and from the global soil science community
18th World Congress of Soil Science
The 18th Worlds Congress brought together over 2,000 soil scientists from all over the globe, presenting thousands of posters and hundreds of oral papers. Above all, it showed that soil science is thriving. A series of reports will appear in IUSS Bulletin 109 (October 2006) and some are on the IUSS and the 18th WCSS website. Roger Swift and Neal Menzies (both from Australia) are the new president and vice president whereas Stephen Nortcliff (UK) and Alfred Hartemink (Netherlands) have been re-appointed as Secretary General and Deputy Secretary general, respectively.
The following soil scientists were elected IUSS Honorary Members: Winfried Blum (Austria), Hans-Peter Blume (Germany), Johan Bouma (Netherlands), S-J. Cho (Korea), Jan Glinski (Poland), Marcel Jamagne (France), Don Nielsen (USA),Hans van Baren (Netherlands) and Larry Wilding (USA). Rattan Lal (USA) received the von Liebig Award; Victor Targulian (Russia) the Dockuchaev Award; Herman Mucher (Netherlands) the Kubiena Medal; Alex McBratney (Australia) the Webster Medal.
For your diary: the 19th World Congress of Soil Science will be held in Brisbane, Australia, 1-6 August 2010; the 20th Congress will be held in Seoul, Korea in 2014.
Africa fertilizer summit
The Africa fertilizer summit was held in Abuja, Nigeria 9-13th June. The Summit brought together African heads of state, African ministers, presidents and heads of international donor organizations, private-sector firms, farmers? organizations and senior policymakers. The Summit discussed the food challenges of Africa and its fertilizer crisis. It mapped out regional and national strategies within the framework of agricultural sector development plans and financing mechanisms with the goal to trigger an African Green Revolution. Read the Abuja declaration on fertilizer for Africa green revolution here (in English, French or Portuguese) or read more on the website of the African Green Revolution here
We need your address details!
Communication is everything. At the World Congress of Soil Science the newly elected division, commission and working group officers started. Their names are now listed on the IUSS Website (IUSS INFORMATION and under IUSS PEOPLE) but we still need address details. Please send all address details to your division head as soon as possible!
Also on the IUSS website: a list of countries and officers/contact persons for each country or national soil science society. This list is still blank; please send us all details using the form on the IUSS website.
IUSS Bulletin 109 - call for contributions
The IUSS Bulletin 109 will appear in October and please send your contributions (reports of meetings, announcements, good and brilliant ideas, polemics, book reviews etc.) to before the 30th September!
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