ICPA - Experience

Research Institute for Soil Science and Agrochemistry

ICPA Bucharest

EXPERIENCE

In Romania, soil research and survey activities started in the first decade of the XX-th century.

ICPA was founded in 1970 within the Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences (ASAS), by grouping several departments, previously included in different structures.

The mission of ICPA is to promote basic, strategic and applied research, survey and long-term monitoring in soil and agrochemistry fields. This mission implies high quality contribution in developing knowledge on soils and environment. In the same time, trained scientists and engineers are involved in providing services, thereby contributing to the economic competitiveness of Romania, and to upgrading the quality of life.

Several strategic aims support this mission:

nation-wide inventory (classification, mapping) and quality monitoring of the soil as natural basic resource;
fostering research for a deeper understanding and a better prediction of different processes implying soil, land and plant nutrition;
collecting, interpreting and supplying data on soil, land and plant nutrition;
developing research for a better knowledge of the pedogenic processes and a sound understanding of the soil biofunctions in natural and anthropized ecosystems;
providing objective and independent expert advice;
developing and using new technologies, as well as maintaining scientific facilities;
ensuring linkage with user community and effective know-how transfer;
training and maintaining a skilled staff ("centre of excellence") in soil science, agrochemistry and related fields (environment, GIS, RS, modeling, DSS, etc.);
encouraging public understanding of soil and environment, by dissemination of information on human impact.

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