12/30/2016
Welcome!
Global Soil Degradation
Special Session:
Strategies for Jumpstarting the
Revitalization of Desertified Ag/ Grasslands
ASA-CSSA-SSSA Meeting
6 November 2016
Workshop Goals
• Share our research results on strategies for
revitalizing degraded and saline soils.
• Solicit your feedback on their relevance and
suggestions for new directions to take this
program.
Vision: to develop a global, adaptive, and highly
networked program, that integrates research,
stakeholder engagement, and education, in order
to simultaneously catalyze the revitalization of
degraded agricultural dryland systems throughout
the semi-arid regions of the world.
Ag/Grassland Restoration Team
Cornell University
Ningxia Forestry Institute
Dr. Rebecca Schneider
Dr. Stephen Morreale
Director LI Jian
Dr. LI Zhigang
Dr. NI Xilu
Dr. WANG Cuiping
Southwest
University
Dr. LI Changxiao
International S & T Cooperative Program of Ministry of Science and
Technology of China and USDA (201304311 and 2015DFA90900
Ag/Grassland
Restoration Team
USDA Great Plains, U.S.
Cornell University
Southwest Univ.
Dr. Harold van Es
Dr. Hong Wei
Dr. James Lassoie
Dr. Jianli Wang
Dr. Ruth Sherman
Dr. Yue Peng
Dr. Anthony Hay
Dr. David Weinstein
USDA-LTAR, ND
Dr. Janice Thies
Dr. Karim-Aly Kassam Dr. Mark Liebig
Dr. Dan Moebius-Clune
2014 International Workshop, Ningxia
Dr. Ray Weil
Dr. Steve Shafer
Dr. David Hannaway
Mr. Ian Armitage
Dr. Kevin Irwin
Dr. Anna Tengberg
Dr. Bill Lamberts
Students: E. Menzies, T. Daniel, M. Garcia, N. Britwum
Dr. Jay Jabbro
Dr. Francisco Calderon
Dr. Catherine Stewart
Dr. Veronica Acosta-Martinez
MacArthur Foundation
Global Challenge
Cornell Univ.
Dr. Johannes Lehmann
Dr. Matt Ryan
Dr. Brian Richards
Dr. Sara Scherr, Dr. Louise Buck, EcoAgriculture Partners
Mr. Carsten Germer, Secretary, UNDP - China
Dr. Gary Langham, National Audubon Society
Dr. Ulrich Apel, Global Environment Facility
Dr. Judy Braus, North American Association for Environmental Education
Dr. Erick Fernandes, The World Bank Group
Dr. Luc Gnacadja, LoCAL Programme Board- UNCDF
Dr. Alexander Muller, Potsdam Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, FAO
Dr. Bianca Moebius-Clune, NRCS Soil Health Division
Dr. Constance Neely, World Agroforestry Center
Dr. Noel Aloysius, Ohio State Univ.
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Special Session: Strategies for Jumpstarting the
Revitalization of Desertified Ag/ Grasslands
AGENDA
1:30 – 3:15
Part I: Overview of Restoration Research and Strategies:
Short presentations summarizing research findings for
restoration of severely degraded and saline soils.
3:15 – 3:30
Increasing Global Food Production
“To adequately feed more than
9 billion people by 2050, the
world must close a nearly 70
percent gap between the
amount of food
produced in 2006 and that
needed by mid-century.”
Coffee Break
3:30 – 5:15
Part II: Discussion, Feedback, and Brain-storming:
Give us feedback on the relevance of applying these
strategies in other regions. Discuss ways to build a global
coalition for grassland restoration.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/foodfeatures/feeding-9-billion/
Global Water Scarcity
“There are four billion people worldwide who are affected by severe water scarcity
for at least one month a year … when you look at it monthly not overall annually”
Global increases in population,
irrigated cropland, and water use
~70% of water use is for agriculture
M. M. Mekonnen, A. Y. Hoekstra. 2016. Four billion people facing severe water scarcity.
Science Advances 2 (2)
70% of global water withdrawals
is used for irrigation to grow crops
P. Gleick, Pacific Institute. The World’s Water. 1988)
Climate Change – Shifts in Spatial
Distribution of Rainfall
• 2,800 km3 / yr used for irrigation
• 24% of croplands are irrigated (2011)
• Irrigation delivers 34% of agricultural
production
One solution to meet food need is
ag intensification,
i.e. increase yields, and close yield gaps
on existing lands through irrigation and
fertilization.
NOAA – Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory 2014
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Global Soil Degradation
Droughts impact crop yields
Agriculture to grow food occupies
~38% of the land surface of the earth
Unhealthy soil requires greater water
inputs to support crops
Foley et al. 2011. Solutions for a cultivated planet. Nature.
12% (1.53 billion ha) cropland; pastures 26% (3.38 billion ha)
Types of Grasslands
Agriculture developed on
former grasslands
Major types and trends of global land use
and land cover (Mha)
UNEP 2013
IMAGES WIKIMEDIA
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Grasslands evolved in semiarid regions
NatureServe: Dixon, A.P., D. Faber-Langendoen, C. Josse, C.J. Loucks, and
J. Morrison. 2014. Distribution mapping of world grassland types.
J. Biogeography. Doi: 10.1111/jbi.12381.
High 1o and 2o productivity in grasslands
despite scarce rainfall
http://www.fao.org/docrep/007/y5738e/y5738e04.jpg
A key factor was deep organic soils
Mollisol Soils: “deep, high organic matter, nutrient-enriched surface
soil (A horizon), 60-80 cm (28”) deep; typical of grasslands”
Avg precipitation is 100 – 500 mm/yr
http://passel.unl.edu/Image/mmamo
3/TimKettler/mollisolsLG.gif
Well documented case study:
Mollisol soils – Great Plains, USA
Human agricultural activities have degraded soils
1837
John Deere
Invented steel plow
“sod-buster”
10,000 sold by 1855
Wind
erosion
Water
erosion
Livestock
overgrazing
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1930’s Dust Bowl in the Great Plains, USA
NRCS Monitoring Soil Loss
Black Sunday
14 April 1933
Kansas
Blue dot:
100,000 tons/ yr of water
erosion = 1676 million tons/ yr
Red dot:
100,00 tons/yr of wind
erosion = 1384 million tons/yr
Photos: M. Liebig
https://www.britannica.com/place/Dust-Bowl
What was the initial condition?
425 BC
1837
1970
1982 - 2012
30 yr
Cumulative loss =
403,506 kg/ha
(180 tons/acre)
Pampas, Argentina
~1970s
Conversion to intensive
beef cattle ranching and
“soylenization”
Crete, Greece
Herodotus 425 BC
“covered with shade trees”
Now dominant vegetation
Is “phrygana”
“soil is incapable of holding moisture”
Spiny, aromatic drought-tolerant shrubs
Kastro, Greece 2007. Sten Porse
http://www.pregonagropecuario.com/cat.php?txt=6798
Photo: H. van Es
Mongolia
Global Soil Degradation
Taklamakan
Gobi
China
India
170 – 200 mm rainfall/yr
2.5 million people
Desertified grassland
Translocated villagers
Historic agricultural management has depleted
global SOC stocks by as much as 66 ± 12 Pg
(Lal 1999)
(petagram=1012 Kg [72.8 ± 13.2 billon US tn])
USDA – China Ministry of Science and Technology’s
Collaborative Program 2011-2017
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Yinchuan, Ningxia 200mm rain / 5 months
425 BC
1855
1970
263 ha Ningxia Forestry Institute
GOALS
The ultimate goals are:
(1) to identify the recipe and steps for jumpstarting
the revitalization of desertified and saline soils,
(2) to facilitate their adoption in the construction of
either healthier croplands requiring minimal
Historical amnesia - where is the soil organic matter?
“Recipes” - Soil Amendments, Plus
A soil amendment is any material added to a soil to improve its
physical properties, such as water retention, permeability, water
infiltration, drainage, aeration and structure.
Colorado State University - J.G. Davis and C.R. Wilson.
Application of materials
- Mixing into soil
- Surface application
irrigation or self-sustaining
Mulch
Compost
Organic Material
Fine and Coarse Woody Material
grasslands that do not need
irrigation.
Shrubs, Twigs, Branches, Treetops
Thanks!
Thank you!
This study was financed by the International S & T
Cooperation Program of Ministry of Science and
Technology of China(201304311 and 2015DFA90900)
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