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Polish Presidency in the EU
International conference
on soil organic matter
Minister Marek Sawicki
summarised the discussion
on soil organic resources
On 21 st September 2011, international conference on “Soil Organic Matter
– The old truth and new challenges” was held in Brussels. It was organised
by Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Marek Sawicki and DG Research
and Innovation of the European Commission.
The merits and the schedule of the Conference
were prepared by the Institute of Soil
Science and Plant Cultivation – State Research
Institute in Puławy. The Conference, opened by
Minister Marek Sawicki, was attended by more
than 150 participants from most European Union
Member States representing major scientific
institutions and administration.
The following speakers made their presentations:
Tomasz Stuczyński (Institute of Soil Science
and Plant Cultivation – State Research Institute
Pulawy, Poland), Jan Kuś
(Institute of Soil Science
and Plant Cultivation –
State Research Institute
Pulawy, Poland), Oene
Oenema & Peter Kuikman
(Wageningen University,
Holland), Sławomir Gacka (Stowarzyszenie EkosystEM
– Dziedzictwo Natury), Franz Makeschin
(Dresden University of Technology), Luca Marmo
(European Commission Environment Directorate-General),
Massimo Burioni (European Commission,
Research & Innovation DG, Biotechnologies,
Agriculture and Food.
The purpose of Brussels Conference was to turn
the attention of European public opinion, and
most of all the administration, to issues related to
the content and significance of soil organic matter
in the context of progressing climate change.
These issues are particularly important in Poland,
as the content of humus in our soils is low and
still decreasing, while soil
acidification is high.
During the one day Conference,
up-to-date information
on the status and directions
of changes in organic
matter (OM) content in European
soils was presented. Apart from the typically
productive functions of humus, the issues
related to possibilities of soil carbon sequestration
were discussed, as they are important for
greenhouse effect mitigation. The speakers also
highlighted the potential ability of humus to
gather and retain water and the role it can consequently
have in prevention and mitigation of
droughts and floods that have affected the entire
Europe so severely.
The Conference was a good opportunity to
sum up and evaluate the effects of agri-environmental
actions carried out so far aimed at keeping
and restoring the resources of soil organic
matter. It also sent a straightforward message
to decision-makers on the need to develop new,
more effective instruments based on current agricultural
and technical knowledge and practice.
In conclusion of the conference prof. Wiesław
Oleszek (from Institute of Soil Science and Plant
Cultivation, State Research Institute Puławy, Poland)
said: “Soil and land management research
is important basis for the success of bio-based-
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Autumn 2011