Soils Newsletter, Vol. 46, No. 2, January 2024

There were many developments at the Laboratory with the following research topics: Water deficit and potassium affect carbon isotope composition in cassava bulk leaf material and extracted carbohydrates; The determination of fate and environmental impact of sulfamethoxazole in agricultural soils; Applying isotopic techniques to assess the impact of plastic debris in tropical agroforestry systems; Restoring Farmland from Radioactive Impact: AI-Guided Potassium Profiling; Soil moisture monitoring, a tool for sustainable irrigation development; Soil particle size distribution using the integral suspension pressure method (ISP) and gamma-ray spectrometry techniques for soil texture mapping; Predicting Carbon-13 (δ13C) signatures in cassava leaves using Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy (MIRS); 15N Tracing Technique to Measure N2O and N2 and Identify Their Sources; Assessing Soil Carbon Sequestration Using Isotopic and Related Techniques; Towards more effective soil remediation decision-making in response to large-scale nuclear emergencies; Advanced soil moisture forecasting using Cosmic Ray Neutron Sensor and Artificial Intelligence (AI). On 18 October 2023, the IAEA and FAO jointly launched the Atoms4Food Initiative. The Atoms4Food initiative seeks to provide Member States with ground-breaking solutions tailored to their specific needs and circumstances, by harnessing the advantages of nuclear techniques along with other advanced technologies, to enhance their innovation capacity so as to boost food and nutrition security, while keeping sustainable natural resource management. To optimise our services to Member States under the framework of the Atoms4Food Initiative, SWMCN initiated identifying cross-cutting opportunities with the appropriate private and public sectors for institutional collaborations. As we actively work on helping countries in line with the Atoms4Food initiative, a Panel Discussion at the COP28 in Dubai, UAE took place titled "Climate Smart Agriculture Solutions to Combat Salinity and Climate" on 3 December 2023. The discussion raised awareness on climate change impacts on soils and crop production, as well as climate-smart agricultural solutions and the importance of collaborative approaches to scale them up. Following these discussions two practical arrangements were signed with the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) and Anglo American Woodsmith Ltd. Both partnerships will boost the work of the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre in its soil and water management and crop nutrition activities.