Overview

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Soil is a complex and dynamic natural resource on the Earth's surface. It supports plant growth, affects water and air quality, and helps to clean up natural and human-made wastes. We depend on soils for the food we eat, the water we drink, and the environment in which we live and play. CSREES is involved in a diverse range of research, education, and outreach activities to better understand, maintain, and restore the health of this vital natural resource.

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In Focus

• CSREES co-sponsors "Dig it! The Secrets of Soil," a Smithsonian exhibit on soil and how this complex ecosystem supports nearly every form of life on earth.
• CSREES requested projects to generate science-based knowledge leading to development and implementation of practices improving soil health and productivity.
• Soils affect many processes affecting global change, and many CSREES activities relate to the potential for soil to serve as a sink for greenhouse gases.
• Research on contaminant transport, fate, and control in soils can improve soil, water, ecosystems, and human health.
• CSREES supports research, outreach, and education to promote soil conservation and minimize soil erosion.
• Soilborne pathogens and pests can be managed through biological control and integrated pest management.


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Partnerships

• CSREES manages the Consortium for Agricultural Soils Mitigation of Greenhouse Gases (CASMGS), which researches agriculture's role in this global problem.
• CSREES participates in two soil-related working groups of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), a collaborative that studies global climate change.
• In partnership with CSREES, USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) conducts research on soil erosion, contamination, and production agriculture.


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Events

• Competitive Grants Grantsmanship Workshops, Washington, DC/Salt Lake City, UT, September/October, 2008.
• The National Sedimentation Laboratory: 50 Years of Soil and Water Research in a Changing Agricultural Environment Conference, Oxford, MS, September 3-5, 2008.
• Air Pollution and Climate Change at Contrasting Altitude and Latitude, International Union of Forest Research Organizations, Murten, CH, September 7-12, 2008.


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Selected Results and Impacts

• Using a CSREES grant, North Carolina researchers are working to improve understanding of how conservation benefits watersheds.
• CSREES funds are helping Delaware researchers show how modifying chicken diets can reduce waterway pollution.
• With a CSREES small business grant, a Washington company created an environmentally-friendly solution to the problem of soil erosion.


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Resources

• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Technical resources for the general public, researchers, and professionals.
• Online Soil Survey Manuscripts, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Soil survey information arranged by state.
• Soil Science Society of America (SSSA). Online resources for SSSA members.


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Contacts

Nancy Cavallaro

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Last Updated: July 1, 2008