There are three main ways in which soil science has failed its stakeholders.
1. Over-generalizing recommendations beyond the conditions for which they were developed.
2. Not properly communicating the risks inherent in their recommendations.
3. Not able to translate findings into economic terms so that farmers and policy makers can work with them.
The research is useful where it treats with real problems, which is concerned with soil, that face the farmers .
That their knowledge serves to recover contaminated soils.
They should concentrate not only agricultural production but should concentrate to work on environmental quality , soil and human health.
Let Soil Scientists direct their research to showcase the paramount importance of soils to ecosystem services.
soil scientists can concentrate on improving soil fertility specially organic carbon,conservation,storage, recycling of rainwater to improve rainfed crop productivity.
Let's take the three concerns raised by Prof. Bijay one by one:
1-The first can be improved by adding some modeling tools to test other conditions that were not considered for field experiments, given that all models are wrong but some are usefull.
2-First of all, a lot of finding in soil science do not reached the end users (Farmers and others). We have to put more emphasis on communicating our results beyong scientific networks. We must also highlight the risks related to our findings specially by using some hedges.
3-Initiate collaborative research with AgriEconomist for better tlanslate our results in economics terms.
I do also appreciate the first comments from my seniors.
As stated by Pal sir, we must also follow the soil characterization, soil health and soil quality studies with reference to bench mark soil series. Which will give us a good data for modelling as well as better interpolation to particular cropping systems.
Although soils have a tremendous role in providing ecosystem services to mankind, adequate recognition of this fact is seldom highlighted in an appropriate manner. This has been the main reason why soil science still appears be an inward-looking field of science. To remove this misunderstanding, soil scientists need to argue in a manner that is readily understood by all and with both scientific and economic rigor so that they become able to establish the fact that soils are one of the important determinants of a nation's economic status and thus, inclusion of soils in the ecosystem services framework, policy and decision making is indispensable.
I agree with all the points raised by different colleagues but I am still looking for a discussion as to how much valid are the three points raised by me in terms of general inability of soil scientists to prove usefulness of their work.
@ Prof. Bijay - Three points flagged by you are very much valid. These difficulties could be resolved to a great extent if research endeavours are undertaken on demand driven basis, involving the stakeholders. from the beginning.
Agreed with Dr Bijay Singh, as soil scientists we must come out from out orthodox system of research and must not generalized the recommendation. There must be recommendation on agroecological basis. Soil scientist should work in collaboration with with departments on team basis with enthusiasm. And must motivate the youngsters to do better in the future.
The research is useful where it treats with real problems, which is concerned with soil, that face the farmers .
Dear Dr Singh ji
Although, i am an agronomist, I do not accept that soil scientists have failed.
1. Over-generalizing recommendations beyond the conditions for which they were developed.
When the soil is heterogeneous in nature, this is the only way. Soil scientists didnot fail at all.
2. Not properly communicating the risks inherent in their recommendations.
Risks are always in public domain. It is a open secret. One has to decide what to apply according to local conditions. Soil scientists didnot fail at all.
3. Not able to translate findings into economic terms so that farmers and policy makers can work with them.
why not? There area several examples. For eg. neem coated urea in India. Soil scientists did not fail at all.
Through development of apps that can reach the farmers with the crops that can be grown in a particular soil type
More focus should be on the importance of soil sustainability, soil degradation such as erosion, compaction, lowered fertility, and contamination etc. A soil scientist should be enthusiastically collaborate with farmers, locals, youngsters and other govt. run dept. hand-in-hand and spread new techniques for quick identification of the problems and possible remediation.
The collaborative approach with other disciplines with primary target of sustaining soil health can make research more relevant.
To make soil studies more useful, it would be necessary to:
1. Adopt a participative and multidisciplinary approach that integrates soil's physicochemistry and microbiology, soil health, phytopathology ...;
2. Communicate more and in a more effective and efficient way around the results obtained.
3. avoid aberrant extrapolations of the conclusions reached.
Soil science is very much useful in many ways to develope our countrie / entire
agricuture is depends on soil science and agri chemistry research. In RG create a
project with all soil / allied scientists to make all the soil researches make more visible .
Wish you good luck !
Identifying the local specific problems and by conducting multi-location trials based on farmers' issues my help to address the issue.
Interesting discussion, I agree with Qasim Mohammed Hussein and Jaydip Datta answers.
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