A number of projects utilizing nuclear techniques and undertaken jointly by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) have led to a significant decrease in soil degradation in several countries.
Such techniques can help protect soil from degradation, which affects 1.9 billion hectares of land or 65% of global soil resources, according to IAEA, which also estimates that soil erosion, the main driver of degradation, results in an annual loss of 75 billion tons of fertile soil, and costs approximately US$400 billion annually.
4 December 2014: A number of projects utilizing nuclear techniques and undertaken jointly by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) have led to a significant decrease in soil degradation in several countries. Such techniques can help protect soil from degradation, which affects 1.9 billion hectares of land or 65% of global soil resources, according to IAEA, which also estimates that soil erosion, the main driver of degradation, results in an annual loss of 75 billion tons of fertile soil, and costs approximately US$400 billion annually.
The IAEA, through its Technical Cooperation Programme, and FAO, through its Joint Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, are helping scientists and farmers in more than 60 countries measure and control soil erosion using various nuclear techniques, including: fallout radionuclides (FRNs) which help assess soil erosion rates; and compound specific stable isotope analysis, which assists in tracking land degradation hot spots.
In various Asian countries, scientists are using these techniques to gather information on soil erosion rates in agricultural landscapes and identify land degradation areas in order to help farmers and land users minimize soil erosion, make best use of soil resources and improve agricultural land management. For example, a regional project on ‘Improving Soil Fertility, Land Productivity and Land Degradation Mitigation,’ is being undertaken in 14 countries, including Australia, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines and Viet Nam. The IAEA is also transferring nuclear techniques to scientists in African countries through a regional project ‘Supporting Innovative Conservation Agriculture Practices to Combat Land Degradation and Enhance Soil Productivity for Improved Food Security.’ A regional project is also being implemented in Latin America called ‘Strengthening Soil and Water Conservation Strategies at the Landscape Level by Using Innovative Radio and Stable Isotope and Related Techniques.’
In addition, the IAEA is cooperating with the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in order to promote good soil management practices. A recently-released IAEA publication ‘Guidelines for Using Fallout Radionuclides to Assess Erosion and Effectiveness of Soil Conservation Strategies,’ discusses FRN use as tracers as well as assumptions, requirements and limitations regarding their use. [IAEA News Story] [Joint FAO/IAEA Programme – Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture Website] [Publication: Guidelines for Using Fallout Radionuclides to Assess Erosion and Effectiveness of Soil Conservation Strategies]