Why We Need to Preserve Soil and Water Resources Worldwide and How It Is Being Done

2011 ECHO Asia Agriculture and Community Development Conference Chiang Mai, October 3-6, 2011

Samran SombatpanitAdvisor, Past President and Membership Coordinator

World Association of Soil and Water Conservation (WASWAC)

WASWAC VisionA world in which all soil and water resources are used in a productive, sustainable and ecologically sound manner.

WASWAC MissionTo promote worldwide the application of wise soil and water management practices that will improve and safeguard the quality of land and water resources so that they continue to meet the needs of agriculture, society and nature.

Erosion – a major form of land degradation

PLUS SOME OTHER FACTORS

Rill erosion Rill erosion

Gully erosion Wind erosion

Upper left: Earliest documented debris flow in Thailand occurred on November22,1988 at Phipoon District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, S Thailand.

Upper right: A recent documented debris flow with huge stones at Khanom District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province in S Thailand – November 4, 2010.

Lower: Most recent major landslide and debris flow occurred at Nam Pat District, Uttaradit Province on Sept 9, 2011, while flood occurred in scores of provinces.

DEBRIS FLOW

Basic principle of land/soil degradation

- Loss of soil material (sand, silt, clay, OM)

- Loss of plant nutrients

→ →

(Loss of fertile topsoil)

Topsoil

When eroded

When eroded further

Original non-eroded soil

Basic principle of soil conservation

Before After

“lower slope length, lower gradient”

Structural measures to conserve soil

Contour stone line - India

Contour stone line - Bolivia

Contour stone line - AfricaBench terrace made from stones - Africa

Bench terraces - Africa

Structural measures to conserve soil

Grass-lined bench terraces - Philippines

Rice terraces – Yunnan, ChinaRice terraces

Terraces for growing vegetables

Hillside ditch – construction by machine – N Thailand Hillside ditch – done by hand – N Thailand

Small field terraces on a steep area – N Thailand Stone check dam on a mountain - Morocco

Vegetative measures

Vetiver grass – N Thailand Vetiver grass – N Thailand

Leguminous cover crop, N Thailand Life fence - Africa

Vetiv

er S

yste

m (V

S)

Mixed Measures

Field terraces – N Thailand

Contour strip cropping – Iowa, USA

Wasting land for making bunds

In Fiji during 1950s

They started to dig a trench and put vetiver grass slips in

After a short time they obtained good/ effective vegetative lines for erosion control

Agronomic measures

Mulching - UgandaMulching

Thrash for water conservation - Africa Mulching in soybean field – S America

No tillage

No tillage in S America

Fragile soil after years of no tillage

Mulching in no-till fields

Management measures

Tramping of animals may cause erosion

An animal hoof can cause soil breakage

and loss Tramping of animals may cause erosion

Cut-and-carry practice

Fencing off to prevent animals from tramping the ground

Soil and Water Conservation in non-

agricultural areas

Penang, Malaysia Guangzhou, China

Guangzhou, China Hokkaido, Japan

New threat from climate change

Flood in the Philippines

Ice melting in GreenlandFlood in Jakarta,

Indonesia Flood in Pai, N Thailand

Snow on the top of Kilimanjaro is melting

February 2006

Landslide from Guinsaugon in Leyte, Philippines

Landslide from Guinsaugon in Leyte, Philippines

Debris flow covers a large area With > 1,000 deaths Sorrow of those who had lost loved ones

Mechanism of the debris flow

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/oG5kxLszZmZMrWUP5yCUkQ?feat=embedwebsite

Left: A similar operation on the Moon River in Ubon Ratchathani Province to push water out to Mekong river. Hope there will be a concrete prove of the merit of this practice before its use will spread widely. (110925)

Upper: Eight 400-hp tugboats tied to the pillars of a bridge across Noi River in Ayudhya Province accelerate to speed up the flow of the river as part of an effect to relieve flooding. The boat operation is scheduled from 8 AM to midnight and has been found to speed up flows in the river by 20%. It costs 1,000 Baht (US$33)/boat/hr for fuel (128,000 Baht/day for the fuel alone). (110919)

Flood water drainage operation

EARTHQUAKES AND RESULTING TSUNAMIS

Indian Ocean – Dec 26, 2004

NE Japan – March 11, 2011

FOREST FIRE- an imminent threat

Forest burning

FOOD (IN)SECURITYWidespread hunger esp. in Africa is not due to insufficient

food production, but rather to the inefficient food distribution.

Scientists try to make the gapcloser.

Soil and water conservation is one efficient way to help make food security realized.

News from CNN on December 5, 2007

FOOD PRICES WILL JUMP IN THE FUTURE

Early works in soil and water conservation• Early research in soil conservation started in USA ~

1890s • Establishment of Soil Conservation Service of Iceland in

1907• Establishment of Soil Conservation Service (SCS) of

USA in 1935 and changed to Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in 1990s

• To be followed with the establishment of the Soil Conservation Society of America (SCSA) in 1943, and later changed to Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) in 1980s

YEAR 1983 – ISCO & WASWCJanuary 1983• International Soil Conservation Organization (ISCO)

was established in Hawaii, USA, with Dr. Samir El-Swaify, Founding President

• ISCO organizes conference every 2-3 years. The next time will be at Santiago, Chile from November 8-12, 2010

August 1983• World Association of Soil & Water Conservation

(WASWAC) was established in USA, with Bill Moldenhauer involving from the start

• Secretariat was at the Headquarters of the Soil & Water Conservation Society (SWCS), Iowa, USA until March 31, 2003 & it moved to Beijing, China

Present WASWAC Council & Officers (2011)Persons running WASWAC from the beginning include: Bill Moldenhauer, NormanHudson, Rattan Lal, Hans Hurni, David Sanders, Samran Sombatpanit and Miodrag Zlatic

• COUNCIL (30 Councilors)• Honorary President – Liu Zhen, China• President – Li Rui, China• Immediate Past President – Miodrag Zlatić, Serbia• Advisor – Samran Sombatpanit, Thailand• Deputy President – Chinapat Sukvibool, Thailand• Deputy President – James Owino, Kenya• Deputy President – William Critchley, Netherlands• Deputy President – Roberto Peiretti, Argentina• Secretary General – Ning Duihu, China• Treasurer – Liu Xiaoying, China• And other 20 councilors

• OFFICERS (to update)• Vice Presidents (~30)• Special Representatives (~5)• Editors (30) to change• Translators (24) to change

Societies/Associations that promote soil and water conservation

- Soil Conservation Society of America – SCSA (now Soil and Water Conservation Society - SWCS), Ankeny, Iowa, USA

- Chinese Society of Soil and Water Conservation (CSSWC - China)

- Chinese Soil and Water Conservation Society (CSWCS – Taiwan I.)

- Soil and Water Conservation Society of Thailand (SWCST)

- Soil and Water Conservation Society of Nepal (SOWCOS)

- Soil and Water Conservation Society of Uganda (SWCSU)

- Soil Conservation Society of India (SCSI)

- Indian Association of Soil and Water Conservationists (IASWC)

- European Society for Soil Conservation (ESSC)

- International Erosion Control Association (IECA)

- World Association of Soil and Water Conservation (WASWAC)

- And as part of soil science societies worldwide

SHARING INFORMATION gained from

research etc. through

EXTENSION

IMPLEMENTATION

Meetings Publications Training

MEETINGS - conference

- congress

- workshop

- symposium

- seminar

- consultation

Phonsawan, Xieng Khouang, Lao PDR Purwokerto, Indonesia

Yichang, China

Antananarivo, Madagascar

PUBLICATIONS - Journal

- Meeting proceedings

- Newsletter

- Bulletin

- Brochure/ pamphlet

- Report

- Book

…

ICIMOD Deputy Director General Dr. Madhav Karki highlighting importance of the training on low-cost soil and water conservation in ICIMOD’s new

strategy during opening remarks - March 31, 2008

TRAINING

Stages in the life of WASWAC1. Conceiving the idea (Conception) 1983-2001

2.Saving, house building and stabilizing 2001-2010

Including changing WASWC to WASWAC to improve publicity and membership expansion

3. Development 2011 -

Moving of WASWAC Secretariat from USA to China took place on April 1, 2003

Stage 1 Conception 1983-2001

- 4-page quarterly newsletter, printed and sent out ty post- Organizing important conferences a few times (1987, 1989, 1991, 1995)- Publishing a number of SWC books, mostly with SWCS- Being a forum for soil and water conservationists worldwide

Major Products, Services & Activities of WASWAC

Stage 2 Saving of association, house building and stabilizing 2001-2010

- WASWAC Newsletter (now changed to Bulletin) – in 9 languages, in digital format, sent out by e-mail - Monthly HOT NEWS & HOT NEWS extra- Special Publications – ~once a year- Websites, operated from Guangzhou/Beijing (China) &Tokyo (Japan): - Photo Websites, operated from Bangkok- Presenting various awards, e.g. Norman Hudson Memorial award- Coordinating LANDCON series of meetings, with use of Guidelines for Successful Meetings & provision of Cooperation Package- Organize/help organize meetings of interesting subjects- Forum for discussion, e.g. law & policy, climate change, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), no-till- Contacts among professionals in various countries through councilors, 70 WASWAC Vice Presidents, Special Representatives - Promotion of visits among academics of some countries- Promotion and assistance in building soil museums in various countries

Stage 3 Development (2011- )

???

WASWAC Publications

SP 1

SP 2

Recent WASWAC Publications

2004 20072008 2009

Sale < 1,000 copies Sale < 1,000 copies Sale ~9,700 copies Sale ~3,700 copies

SP 3 SP 4

A book on conservation agriculture produced from contributions from Cambodia conference, July 4-7, 2011

SP 5

Published December 2011

SP 6

Ready 2011

Next

SP6b Vegetable Agroforestry Systems in Indonesia

To finish in November 2011

SP6c Vegetable Agroforestry Systems in the Philippines

To finish in January 2012

SP6d Conclusion volume

To finish in February 2012, with a box

A set of 6 DVDs, containing 10,000 works from 30 years ago until now. Will be ready in December 2011. FREE. Handling and postal charge: US$15/set. One set will be sent at no cost to Honorary members, Life members and Organization members.

Next SP 7

GUIDELINES FOR SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS1. With strong intention to exchange knowledge – not to make money

2. Local academics-professionals and students should be recruited to assist in the organization of the meetings and related field tours.

3*. A reasonable registration fee should be levied to participants. A mid-meeting field tour and a cultural evening should be included in the registration fee to enhance more participation.

4. Field tours should deal directly with the subjects of the meeting and knowledgeable staff should be assigned to accompany tour groups.

5. Organizers must keep the interest of participants to attend all sessions and provide a chance for them to learn about culture, history and natural attractions.

6. Meeting program should be arranged in a cost-effective way so that participants will be given an array of choices of relevant activities to choose from.

7*. Themes/topics of the meeting should address current societal needs (e.g. poverty alleviation, climate change, energy-related issues).8*. Keynote speakers should come from a wide spectrum of professionals and a chance should be given to promising younger persons.9*. There should be a working group to document daily session outputs to prepare ‘meeting summary’ and, ‘conclusions and recommendations.’10. Proceedings (CD/ hardcopy) should be prepared and distributed either at the meeting or soon after. It is encouraged the Powerpoints from all presentations should be made as a CD or a flash drive, along with other digital material, to present to all participants at the end of the event.

Meetings that can pass at least 7 points of these 10 points (including those with *) are welcome to join as LANDCON meetings – with an assigned number and some support.

LANDCON

WASWAC Bulletin for 2010 For 2011

Quarterly WASWAC Newsletter was produced since 1983 when the association was established. The name was changed to WASWAC Bulletin from the year 2010 onward when the production base was established at the Punjab Agricultural University under the direction of the Editor-in-Chief Prof Surinder S. Kukal (right) of Department of Soil Science. The Bulletin appears three times a year. This is considered the flagship publication of the association from the beginning. Earlier, it was always edited by the President.

Monthly WASWAC Hot News was first produced in 2006 and has become useful in informing members what conferences will take place where and when. Apart from that, members will get to know about new publications, scholarships, awards, training courses, jobs, exhibitions, study tours – all concerning management and care of the natural resources. This publication is edited by Samran Sombatpanit, Karika Kunta and Tong Yuling. Karika Kunta will lead the editors team from Jan 2012, with one more assistant editor.

Karika Kunta

Samran Sombatpanit

Tong Yuling

SWAT has become an Associate Program with WASWAC from

August 15, 2011. In the picture, WASWAC was

cooperating in SWAT Training Workshop at Land

Development Department, Bangkok, Thailand, September

10-13, 2009

GUANGZHOU SWAT Regional Conference & Training Workshop July 24-30, 2011, with WASWAC as a co-organizer

July 25, 2011

Post conference excursion at Danxia Geological Park, N of Guangdong Prov. July 28-30, 2011

Opening

Promotion of visits among academics of some countries

Thai academics went to meet their counterparts in Vietnam, 2009

Thai academics assisted a soil museum project in Guangzhou, China, 2009/10

Thai academics went to meet their counterparts in Malaysia, 2010 - Mardi (above) & Universiti Putra Malaysia (below)

PROMOTION OF SOIL MUSEUMSConstructing soil museum is the best investment in terms of the study of soil science and the use of it for society and development.

Bangkok, ThailandGuangzhou, China

Hanoi, Vietnam

NTU, Taiwan IslandQuezon City, Philippines

Dongnai Prov. Vietnam

Wageningen, Netherlands

Hugh H. BennettB.B. Dokuchaev

Norman Hudson Memorial Award

Calvin Rose, Australia, 2004 Norman Hudson

1924-1996Rolf Derpsch,

Paraguay, 2005

John Greenfield, New Zealand,

2006

Hans Hurni, Switzerland, 2007

Michael Stocking, UK, 2008

Rattan Lal, USA, 2009

J.S. Bali, India, 2010

Distinguished Researcher Award

2006

2008

Distinguished Extensionist Award

2008

& WASWAC Asian Technical Award

Issued by WASWAC Japan

Tang Keli, China

R. Howeler, Netherlands; W. Watananonta, Thailand; Tran Ngoc Ngoan, Vietnam

Police Second Leutenant Wichai Surayuth

Editors ~30, to be revised

To be revised

To be revised

The WASWAC is determined to support all activities that have primary, secondary or tertiary purpose to conserve soil and water, including:

• No-till farming / Direct seeding, Mulch-based, Cropping system (DMC)

• Agroforestry• Landcare• Vetiver grass • Soil fertility improvement• SWAT – Soil and Water Assessment Tool• Wocat Programme

among others

Keywords of WASWAC• Volunteerism

• Use of the internet• Quality

• Innovation• Flexibility

• Affordability to all• Institutional support• Being transparent

W o r l d p e a c e

FUTURE OF WASWAC

Stage 3. Development

Loess Plateau in Shaanxi Province of China in 1980s

北京密云石匣小流域水土保持试验基地

The Experimental Station of Soil Conservation in Shixia Watershed, Miyun, Beijing

农民积极参与治理水土流失Farmer’s active participation in soil erosion control

Ankeny, Iowa, USA

Bangkok, Thailand

Beijing, China

1983-Mar 2003

Apr 2003-2010

International Research and Training Center on Erosion and Sedimentation - IRTCES

Initial agreement was made in August 2002 that China would host the secretariat of WASWAC. It, however, took some time to learn about the work and to find suitable agencies in China to handle it in various sections.

Move of WASWAC Secretariat from USA to China via Thailand

Ning Duihu, Kuang Shangfu and others shown at the top

Jiao Juren - Lu Shunguang - Li Rui - Shao Mingan - Li Dingqiang - Liu Zhen

Bill Moldenhauer, Maurice Cook, David Sanders, Samran Sombatpanit, Michael Zoebisch & John Laflen

2010-

Goodwill visits

Argentina 2004

Japan 2005

Nepal 2003

Lao PDR 2008 Malaysia 2009

Vietnam 2005

Switzerland2003

China 2004

Membership in WASWAC~5,000 members in 70 countries, comprising:

- Individual members Developing Country = US$20/ 5 yrs Developed Country & int’l organizations = US$40/ 5 yrs

- Life members ($80/ $160) (Senior persons – 60-year-old and up, $40/ $80)

- Organization members (from $100/ yr)- Organization subscribers (from $100/ yr)- Organization cooperators (free for 1-2 yrs)- Guest members (1 yr free for any world citizen)- Gift members ($5/ yr worldwide)

We welcome you all to join

WASWAC by contacting VPs, SRs,

Deputy President, Past Presidents and

President of WASWAC