In recent story announcing a new collaboration between the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability and The Nature Conservancy (TNC), one of the projects will examine sustainable, agricultural land management in China.
The third project will focus on sustainable land management in China and improving soil health to ensure that country’s future food, water and energy security. Agricultural land in China is scarce; farmers there must feed 18.5% of the world’s population on 7% of the world’s arable land. Rapid urbanization, pollution and soil degradation have put great pressure on soil resources in China.
The group intends to adapt and develop the Cornell Soil Health Assessment Framework, identify soil constraints, establish management solutions, and create educational and policy initiatives.
The principal investigators for the project are Harold van Es, professor of soil and crop sciences; and Ying Li, conservation and agricultural director of the TNC-China program. Co-PIs are Rebecca Schneider, associate professor of natural resources; Joseph Amsili ’13, extension associate and Soil Health Program coordinator; Nan Zing, TNC-China agriculture project officer; and Junling Zhang, a professor at China Agricultural University.
This story originally appeared in the Cornell Chronicle.