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Alfred Hartemink, Secretary General, International Union of Soil Sciences
The concluding chapter of our discussion with Secretary General Alfred Hartemink explores the need to provide soil scientists with greater support – not just financially but also by encouraging intra-disciplinary cooperation – to keep the field strong and united
As a global union of scientists, how does the IUSS promote soil science?
The IUSS is an umbrella organisation for national soil science societies and 60,000 soil scientists across the globe. It promotes soil science by organising meetings, through scientific and popular publications, initiating soil science projects, interacting with other scientific unions through the International Council for Science (ICSU), improving interactions between national soil science societies and much more.
The IUSS is at the forefront of global soil science and through its World Congresses of Soil Science, which dates back to 1927, it promotes international cooperation and exchange of findings and ideas. Although many of the scientific discoveries have been made in solitude, some of our creativity is sparked by interacting with others. I think each scientific meeting has the potential to enlighten and inspire.
We are also promoting soil science through the von Liebig and Dokuchaev Award, which can be seen as the Nobel Prize in soil science. Furthermore, we have a number of other awards and prizes for scientific excellence. Since 1924, 87 soil scientists have been elected as honorary members of the IUSS for outstanding soil science and service to the Union.
Do you think that soil scientists receive the support they need from governments?
Any dedicated scientist would probably tell you that funds are limited and if more were available, then the science would advance faster. There is an increasing realisation that soils are essential in solving issues around food production, climate change, water scarcity and the production of bioenergy. That realisation has not been matched with drastic increases in research funding but there are several signs for positive developments with more projects being funded and new positions being created for soil scientists in many parts of the world. I think we need to increase our intellectual base by attracting the best brains. There is no need to be modest or apologetic about our subject nor to be unambitious – other scientific disciplines do not suffer from that either.
What scientific priorities and areas does the Union focus on? Does prioritisation present its own challenges?
The IUSS promotes all branches of soil science and therefore equal attention is given to each aspect of the field, from the sequestration of carbon in soil, to the mineralogy of serpentine soils, to the DNA fingerprinting of soil life, or the mapping of poorly drained soils. In a broad discipline such as soil science, some areas develop more rapidly than others which is due to the imagination and ideas of groups of individuals, funding possibilities or priorities in solving particular issues.
As in any science there is a balance between advances in basic scientific discoveries and its practical implications. We had a long period of scientific advancement in the latter half of the 20th Century followed by a period in which direct application of soil science was emphasised. I think we will now see that the technology and data supply is ahead of our basic understandings of soil and its behaviour. In that sense, I believe the door will be wide open for new discoveries and paradigm shifts in soil science. The challenge is to use all our imagination and scientific rigour to advance the discipline, acquire the funds to make it happen and dare to think boldly. We are very fortunate to have some great thinkers in the Union to inspire the next generation.
Can you offer an insight into how the Union is funded?
The Union is funded through contributions from the national soil science societies that in turn receive contributions from individual members. We employ a system whereby wealthy countries provide more than countries that are less wealthy. Overall the contributions are not excessive; for example, we would not be able to run the Union with a professional secretariat with the funding that we have. However, having this would greatly increase our effectiveness and some of our national societies have excellent secretariats that have proven beneficial for their members and core activities.
I think it may be a difficult to ask for increased contributions from our members as they may not see the immediate advantages. Clearly, we work very hard to promote soil science and provide a service to our members through a range of activities. The direct benefits of that are hard to measure but we think that the IUSS has played a key role in the upsurge of soil science that we have been experiencing in recent years.
In terms of taking the Union forward, what plans do you have? How can you bring greater benefit to your members?
As mentioned, there are many new activities underway which is a major change compared to five or 10 years ago when soil science was in a dip. For instance, the IUSS Working Group on Digital Soil Mapping started a project named GlobalSoilMap in 2006 to map key soil properties at fine resolution for the entire globe. The project is a fine example of global cooperation between major institutions. When GlobalSoilMap began, there was some resistance and doubt about the validity of global projects. However, it is common knowledge that many of our problems and their solutions cross national boundaries and therefore global cooperation is needed. Since then, we have seen a whole range of global projects, such as the Global Soil Partnership, Global Soil Week, the Global Land Project, the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative, Global Soil Security, etc. We are excited to see these new developments and many of our members are involved in these activities. We are also seeing an increase in activities by regional soil bodies and as a scientific soil union we welcome these efforts. Although the IUSS is not leading these projects, it is our role to think ahead and develop ideas and initiatives that will inspire others. We are in the process of finalising a strategic plan that lays out some of the main challenges for the discipline and contains heaps of other ideas. This plan is currently awaiting council approval.
We have also established a thematic conference that will be held in the years between the World Congress of Soil Science. The first one addresses soil carbon which is an important soil property that affects soil’s fertility and structure, impacts greenhouse gases and has many other effects. At this thematic conference we will treat the subject from all angles – from biochemistry to mapping to its management. By taking this broad approach, we encourage intradisciplinary cooperation which is needed in a discipline that has the risk of becoming fragmented.
What role do you envision soil science will play in addressing future challenges?
The Earth and its 7 billion people face a large number of challenges ranging from sufficient supplies of food and water for its growing population to a shifting climate and rapidly changing demographics. Science has a crucial role to play in all this. Since most of our food comes from the land that filters our waters and we are solely dependent on this planet, we will have to manage it wisely. Soil science has a role to play in all that – soils are not the problem, they are part of the solution. As a global union, the IUSS aims to catalyse activities and stimulate the best science to address the many challenges that humans face – now and in the future.
