Soil and Water Management & Crop Nutrition
The Soil and Water Management and Crop Nutrition Subprogramme assists IAEA and FAO Member States to improve their agricultural productivity and food security by developing better soil and water management technologies and practices through the use of isotopic,
nuclear and related techniques.
The Subprogramme also focuses on the development and transfer of soil and water management technologies to: (i) adapt and mitigate the impact of climate change on soil quality and land productivity for sustainable agriculture, (ii) reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon dioxide capture in both productive and marginal lands and (iii) enhance the conservation of external inputs (e.g., fertilisers) as well as land and water resources, thus improving agricultural sustainability, protecting the environment and increasing farmers' livelihood.
Highlights
Adaptation to Climate Change with Improved Agricultural Water Management.
As the water available for agriculture becomes limiting due to population growth, competition from other water users, drought and water quality degradation, it is important to ensure that every drop of water (either from rainfall and irrigation) counts for crop water use.
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Extracting Fertilizer from a Clear Blue Sky.
Nitrogen fixation in cereals has been a dream of scientists and farmers for a long time. If rice, wheat and maize are able to fix all of their nitrogen from the atmosphere in the same manner as soybean, it would have major financial and environmental benefits for the agricultural community.
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Food security and sustainable agriculture: The answer is in the Soil-Tajikistan.
For more than 50 years the Soil Science Research Institute (Academy of Science) has been actively involved in efforts to combat soil erosion and land degradation in Tajikistan. Full Story »
Improving Agricultural Water Management for Crop Productivity in Africa.
Agriculture is the largest consumer of water; accounting for over 70% of the world's freshwater diversion. However, only a part of this agricultural water diverted is effectively used in the production of food or other agricultural commodities and the remaining does not reach the
crop/plants ... Full Story »
Soil management and conservation for sustainable agriculture and environment.
Nuclear techniques provide essential and value added information and technology for defining and alleviating constraints to intensify and diversify farming systems while ensuring the sustainable use and management of land and water resources ... Full Story »
Technologies and practices for sustainable use and management of water in agriculture.
With increasing water shortages in many parts of the world, the SWMCN Subprogramme aims at developing isotope based methodologies to measure and improve crop water productivity (more crops per drop). Full Story »