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ORCaSa’s Asian node took part in workshops in Cambodia

The SFRI (Soils and Fertilizers Research Institute) participed in a series of workshops held in Phnom Penh and Kampong (Cambodia), from 20 to 24 March 2023. Organised by the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Paris (iEES Paris) and the Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC), the PSF SUMO (Structural Training Project: Sustainable Soil Use and Management in Degraded agro-ecosystems) and the international COMPACSOL (Identifying and Mitigating Physical Soil Degradation to Optimize Sustainable Food Production) network, these workshops aimed at strengthening soil education and research, as well as to improve existing laboratory and analytical capacities in Southeast Asia.

They brought together 28 scientists, students and development actors from Cambodia (ITC, NUBB, Agrisud, RUA and Department of Agriculture, Land Resource Management of GDA), Laos (NuoL, DALRM), Vietnam (SFRI VNU), Thailand (LDD) and France (IRD).

Moreover, they provided an opportunity to train scientists in the description of in situ soil profiles, the notions of pedogenesis and evolution according to the World Reference Base (WRB, 2022) classification, and the study of soil porosity and its impact on water and carbon dynamics, in order to determine carbon stocks in cultivated and non-cultivated environments.

Finally, they offered open discussions on the evolution of agricultural practices associated with the conservation and rehabilitation of degraded soils in the region.

Access here the IRD article