The time has come for a Symposium for the Use of Organic Soil Amendments!
Over the past 15+ years, federal and state government agencies, together with industry have spent tens of millions of dollars on a wide range of R&D projects that sought to improve management, processing and use of agricultural and urban organic residues in terms of reduced GHG emissions, reduced risks (chemical, biological contaminants) and improved understanding of the agronomic and environmental benefits of using organic soil amendments in agricultural production systems. The interest from users, suppliers, regulators and policy makers in organic soil amendments and the hunger for sound and reliable data regarding the potential benefits and risks has markedly increased over the last decade, a trend that is set to grow in the future. Therefore, it is time for Australia and New Zealand to take stock, compile and assess available research results, identify knowledge gaps and research needs, and outline a way forward for integrated and cooperative R&D that supports manufacturing and use of high quality recycled organic products, and facilitates development of enabling government policies. A key goal for this symposium is to provide a platform and forum for all parties involved in and interested in the use of organic soil amendments to advance the above objectives.
Organic soil amendments, encompassing diverse products such as manure, dairy effluent, compost, biochar, biosolids, etc., are ‘multi-function products’ that can have a multitude of positive (or negative) effects on many soil properties, crop yield and quality, environmental conditions, viability of urban organic recycling schemes, etc. Therefore, the symposium will cover a wide range of topics associated with the agricultural and horticultural use of organic soil amendments.
Use of organic soil amendments has the potential to fulfil multiple agronomic, environmental, agro-food and climate policy objectives in an integrated fashion. The symposium will highlight these benefits to policy makers and explore different pathways to making this a reality. This aspect is an important consideration, which is why high-ranking representatives from federal and state government departments will be invited to participate in the symposium.
The symposium will host eight international high profile keynote speakers, who have extensive experience and a wealth of knowledge not only in their field of expertise, but also in the way in which science interfaces (or not) with governments and affects policy development. Symposium delegates will therefore be able to hear and discuss not only key R&D outcomes from Australia and New Zealand, but to also learn from the work and insights of diverse international speakers.
We anticipate that this symposium, the first of its kind in Australia, will not only inspire the research community, but also industry sectors that generate, process and utilise organic soil amendments, to identify areas where knowledge gaps and the need for sound information and guidance are greatest. These knowledge gaps ‘on the ground’ need to be filled to ensure that organic soil amendments are utilised in ways that provide optimum agronomic, economic and environmental outcomes for all partners in the supply chain, and society as a whole.
