On December 5, 2023 at Azerbaijan State Agricultural University (ADAU) took place a Republican scientific and practical conference on the topic «World Soil Day: Soil Factor in Sustainable Agriculture».
The conference was held in partnership with the Department of Land Use Control of the Ministry of Agriculture, FAO Office for Partnerships and Coordination in Azerbaijan, Faculty of Agriculture of the University of EGE, Baku State University, Lankaran State University, Society of Soil Scientists of Azerbaijan, Institute of Soil Science and Agrochemistry.
The conference highlighted that land resources are currently experiencing unprecedented human impacts and anthropogenic pressures on soils are approaching critical levels. Worldwide, the annual loss of fertile arable land is 75 billion tons, which means a loss of agricultural production of $400 billion dollars per year. In today’s environment, the focus is on ensuring a steady increase in land productivity in order to meet growing demand for agricultural products.
Bariz Mehtiev, assistant of the representative of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Azerbaijan, reported that one of the main directions of the organization’s projects implemented in our country is the efficient use of natural resources. He described the ongoing projects implemented in this area within the framework of joint FAO-Azerbaijan cooperation.
The head of the Department for Land Management Control of the Ministry of Agriculture, Firudine Tagiev, stressed the importance of holding the conference and reported that the main source of food problems and food security in the world is land resources. The head of the department reported that the Ministry of Agriculture regularly works on the effective use of natural resources, especially land resources, and all these steps and actions will soon bear fruit.
Then the staff of Liankranan State University, Baku State University and EGE University spoke about the importance and scientific significance of the conference.
