Soils Newsletter, Vol. 37, No. 1, July 2014

With increasing concern for the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events on the fragility of food production systems, food security and the natural resource base, there is an urgent need to enhance soil resilience to erosion, salinization, droughts, floods, and changes in soil and air temperature. By 2050, the world population will reach nine billion people, compared with the present number of nearly seven billion. The greatest challenge we face, is to meet the food demand associated with this increase in population growth without degrading the natural resource base and at the same time, minimizing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which contribute to climate change. Integrated management of soil and water resources can make a positive difference, not only towards food security and sustainable agriculture but also to sustainable development (SD), since SD as defined by the United Nations, encompasses the importance of soil and water management for food security and poverty alleviation. Isotopic and nuclear techniques play an important role in assessing the impacts of climate change and variability on the natural resource base and evaluating different soil and water management practices on soil fertility, water use efficiency and land productivity for climate change adaptation and mitigation. Some of these aspects will be discussed in detail in one of the feature articles in this Soils Newsletter. More information on the use of isotopic and nuclear techniques in soil and water management can be seen in the FAO/IAEA Proceedings on Managing Soils for Food Security and Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation which will be published this year. This publication is a compilation of selected papers presented at the International Symposium organized by the Joint FAO/IAEA Division from 23-27 July 2012