b'Session I: Soil analysis and nutrient managementOpportunity is knocking and we must answer. A path for farming and food production in the shadow of big problemsDrohan P1 1Penn State University, USAOne could argue that today is a good time in history to be alive given the abundance of fresh, safe, accessible food, which is readily available to so many. Yet as we look across the globe a subtle anxiety exists amongst many involved in agriculture. This anxiety is driven in part by the continued challenges of food production as farmers and governments adjust to global trade;climate change; population pressure; changing models of farming and intensification, and site-specific nutrient management; and the abundance of knowledge/information and rapidity of its sharing. Where do we look for solutions to these big, complex problems, and at what scale should we approach them? I use examples from several continents to briefly document how nations are coping with pressing issues surrounding food production. I then present a potential strategy for moving forward that argues for a scaled approach to food production. This approach embraces old and new ideas, but most importantly recognizes the necessity of understanding land ownership legacies, the evolution and stability of government in relation to food production, and the role of government in producing food but limiting corruption and checking theverticalisation of markets. I argue that essential to the success of 21st century, sustainable food production is the development and practice of critical thinking by constituents of all nations, and an assessment at all scales of government, of not just economic achievement, but also human well-being. I argue that more than ever, in this new world of rapid climate change, it is theabsolute responsibility of wealthier nations to step forward and help those less-wealthy nations combat soil degradation; this is still one of the greatest threats to humanity. Checking soil degradation for all countries is essential to stabilizing fertility, economic markets, human health and political unrest, and is as important to the smallest villages in Ireland is it is to the most remote parts of Africa. I am hopeful and you should be too. We have solved many of the food production challenges the globe faces. Big, complex problems remaining, like climate change, are largely human behavior issues governments can address, but I believe only if their constituencies are educated to think critically. Big, complex problems we face are perhaps less a basic science issue and more an issue of ethics. I have no doubt that solving these problems requiresfar harder work than any of the soil and water sampling, or planting or harvesting we have done. We must change as individuals, as communities, as countriesand that is hard, requiring support from governments and a village, here in Ireland and in Africa.1'