University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF)

Events at UAF

The soil health is waning due to soil erosion, loss of organic matter, and nutrition depletion that has become a matter of grave concern and poses a threat of food insecurity, said University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan.

He addressed the inaugural session of 19th International Soil Congress of Sciences themed soil health and sustainable development goals at Iqbal Auditorium that was jointly arranged by UAF and Soil Science Society of Pakistan. Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that we are polluting our soil with our own hands. He said that decreasing soil fertility is a real challenge for which agricultural scientists should enhance their efforts to address the issue at the national and international level. He said that country needed a serious intervention to combat environmental, soil and water degradation with proper remediation. He said that management of soil variability will ensure the sustainable agriculture production. He stressed upon the need to save soil as the situation was worsening.

Director Office of Research Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC) UAF/ President SSSP Dr Zahir Ahmad Zahir said that the environment deterioration has made disaster for the planet and its people. Each additional degree of environmental damage adds to the miseries of the people. He called for protecting, managing soil, adopt negative emission farming, promote the one health concept and use the latest environmental friendly tools for a better tomorrow. He said that they were making all possible efforts to improve the soil health in the country on scientific bases with the help of tangible research work and other methods. Dr Rathan Lal from The Ohio State University said that it was the need of the hour reduce the chemicals, improve water quality, promote a bio circular economy. He said that regenerative agriculture is inspired by eco-innovation, powered by non-carbon energy, driven by circular economy and free infrastructure. He said in the 21st green revolution, rather than input based (variety, fertilizer, irrigation 0teh GR of the soil century must be soil based, soil resilience, ecosystem based, eco efficiency, knowledge and sciences and management. Former president SSSP Dr Shahid Mahmood stressed upon the need of joint efforts in order to address the issue on the part of experts, policy makers, and scientists.

The soil health is waning due to soil erosion, loss of organic matter, and nutrition depletion that has become a matter of grave concern and poses a threat of food insecurity, said University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan.