A special event will be held to celebrate World Soil Day in Perth on 5 December to highlight endeavours to protect and enhance the resource throughout Western Australia.
The forum, titled theme A world of soil information – celebrating WA development and innovation, will showcase local research, technical resources and strategies to address local soils issues.
Landholders, consultants, scientists, community groups and other interested parties are invited to attend the morning session, hosted by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, with support from SoilsWest and Soil Science Australia.
Convener, department research officer Tim Overheu, said it was important to invest in maintaining and improving soil health to ensure future agriculture production potential.
“Soils are a life-sustaining part of our existence, as our soils are the building-blocks of what we eat,” Mr Overheu said.
“It takes a million years for soils to form but it can take just a few years to destroy them.
“For local food production to continue and the WA agriculture and food sector to continue to thrive, it is important to explore ways to maintain and enhance our soils for future generations.”
The World Soil Day forum will profile some of the department’s resources and services, including its online one-stop-shop for soils information, NRInfo, which harnesses a range of valuable digital data and maps.
The forum will also feature several speakers on current soils research and challenges, including leading researchers from the University of Western Australia (UWA).
SoilsWest director, UWA Associate Professor Frances Hoyle, said the event highlighted the strong partnerships in WA soils research, which sought to integrate soil information with input from farmers, researchers and consultants.
“Expert speakers will discuss the global relevance of soils data and research, as well as WA priorities including all the dirt on state soil and land assessment, whole farm nutrient mapping, the current scale of major soil constraints in WA, and managing problem soils – right down to what’s below your feet,” Associate Professor Hoyle said.
“The forum will launch the SoilsWest Soil Quality e-book, alongside a number of other displays and posters profiling soil research by WA university students.”
To register to attend the World Soil Day forum at Technology Park, Bentley, or view the line-up of speakers visit soilswest.org.au and click here or email [email protected] or telephone Tim Overheu on 9892 8444.