The Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry under the The Directorate of Natural Resource Management (DNRM) of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore organized an Endowment Lecture on 'Sustainable Soil Management: Soil Health, Carbon Sequestration and Climate Change Mitigation' recently to create awareness on the importance of soil health management in the context of climate change among the scientists and students.

The session was presided over by V.Geethalakshmi, Vice Chancellor, TNAU, Coimbatore. Somasundaram Jayaraman, Head and Principal Scientist, ICAR - Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Udhagamandalam, The Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu was the Guest Speaker.

The speaker deliberated on the sustainable soil management, importance, challenges, various strategies, and approaches to enhance soil health and soil organic carbon, reduce soil erosion and degradation, mitigate the climate change and improve the soil functions.

He insisted about the importance of soil which not only provides food and nutritional security but also performs many ecosystem functions and services such as water purification, nutrient cycling, climate change mitigation/regulation, contaminants and pesticides retention and degradation, cleaning environment and flood prevention, and cultural heritage and aesthetic provisioning. Sustainable soil management is essential for all sectors such agriculture, forestry, fisheries, health, and allied-industrial sectors.

He narrated that sustainable soil management and land degradation neutrality is always aligned with ‘Sustainable Development’ while taking care of soil, plant, animal and ecosystem’s health. He emphasized the need for nurturing, caring, and conserving the soil for the present and future generations.

Earlier, D. Selvi, Professor and Head, Department of SS&AC, TNAU, Coimbatore welcomed the gathering and delivered the opening remarks for the Endowment Lecture. At the end of the lecture, K. Sathiya Bama, Professor (SS&AC) & PG Coordinator, Dept. of SS&AC, TNAU,Coimbatore proposed the Vote of Thanks.