Invited Speakers

Dato’ Haslina Binti Abdul Hamid

Secretary General, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries, Malaysia

Dato’ Haslina Binti Abdul Hamid holds a Bachelor’s Degree with Honours in Economics and Administration from Universiti Malaya and a Diploma in Japanese Language from Kokusai Gakuyukai Nihongo Gakko, International Student Institute, Japan. She also graduated with a Master of Laws from KEIO University Tokyo, Japan and holds a Diploma in Public Management Course from the National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN). Dato’ Haslina started her career in 1996 at the Malaysia Public Service Department and is currently the Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries (MAFI) since March 10, 2021. Dato’ Haslina has vast experience, skills and knowledge that include strategic governance, policy making, diplomatic relations and negotiation, financial management, international affairs, and human resource management. She played a significant role in the development of the National Agrofood Policy 2.0 (2021–2030) and the National Food Security Action Plan (2021–2025). She has been invited by multiple agencies and associations to represent MAFI and the country to deliver key note speeches on the National Agrofood Policy and matters regarding food security. In 2021, Dato’ Haslina was invited by the United Nations to deliver a ministerial statement on the National Pathway for Food Systems Transformation during the Food Systems Pre-Summit in Rome, Italy. Dato’ Haslina is committed towards strengthening the industry and will continue to drive the Ministry towards success.

Dr. Shamshuddin Jusop

Dr. Shamshuddin is a Registered Professional Geologist. He graduated from the University of Malaya (BS), Newcastle University (MS) and Ghent University (DSc). He was Professor of Soil Science in UPM from 1993 to 2015, studying soils in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. He was once the Head of the Department of Land Management and the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, UPM. In 2015-2020, he was a Research Fellow in the university. Dr. Shamshuddin worked as a pedologist, with emphasis on mineralogy and soil chemistry. His innovative research led to the improved management practices of Malaysian soils to sustain crop growth/production. He had presented papers on soil science and geology throughout the world and have written many books on tropical soil science related to crop production. He is a Fellow and the past President of the MSSS and the past President of the ESAFS. He was elected to the membership of the Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences (Belgium) and is now an Honorary Member of the Academy. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia and conferred the S&T Award for 2014 by the Malaysia Toray Science Foundation. He is now working as a volunteer with UPM under a special scheme called Amal Putra. He is also working as one of the R&D Board Members of the Diversatech Fertilizer Sdn Bhd.

Professor Kazuyuki Inubushi

Professor in Tokyo University of Agriculture

Professor Kazuyuki Inubushi is currently a professor in soil science at the Graduate School of Applied Bio Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture. He was born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1956. He obtained a Ph.D. with a thesis entitled “Studies on easily decomposable organic nitrogen in paddy soils” in 1984 from the University of Tokyo. Prof Inubushi was a professor in the Graduate School of Horticulture, Department of Biological Production, Chiba University, from 1996 to 2021. He is currently Grand Fellow and Professor Emeritus. He was the board member of Japanese Society of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Editor-in-Chief of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition and President (2017-2019); Editorial member of Microbes and Environments; Regional Editor of Biology and Fertility of Soils (1992-); and Honorary member (2020-) of International Union of Soil Science and Associate member, Science Council of Japan (2018-). He received ESAFS Award (2019). His research interests include nitrogen and other nutrients’ dynamics in paddy soil, effects of slow-release nitrogen fertilizers on microbial biomass in soil and greenhouse gas emission, nitrogen fixation and soil rehabilitation in arid soil, and use of stable isotopes and long-term soil fertility. Prof Inubushi has published more than 300 papers and 45 book chapters. He has also edited three books. Prof is also currently actively involved in multiple international research collaboration with the likes of China, Hungary India and Malaysia.

Prof. Dr. Ir. Dian Fiantis, M.Sc

Professor at the Faculty of Agriculture, University Andalas Padang

Professor Ir. Dian Fiantis, M.Scis currently a professor in soil science at the Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Andalas Padang. She was born in Padang, Indonesia, in 1964. She obtained a Ph.D. in Soil Mineralogy from the University Putra Malaysia – Ghent University (Twinning Program) in 2000. She teaches at the S1 Soil Science Study Program for courses in Agrogeology, Soil Mineralogy, Soil Morphology and Classification, Remote Sensing, Land Resources Information Systems, English for Scientific Writing. For the Postgraduate program: Genesis and Soil Taxonomy, Soil Evaluation, Dynamics of Clay Minerals, Spatial Analysis, GIS. She’s also a member of the Dikti resource team for International and National Scientific Article Writing Clinics. Her research topics are biogeochemical weathering volcanic ash deposits and pedometric volcanic ash soils. Prof Dian is Sydney Southeast Asia Visiting Scientist, The University of Sydney, 2016, an honorary visiting Professor in Faculty of Agriculture and Environment Sciences, Sydney University (2017) and at School of Agriculture and Environment Sydney University (2018).

Mr. Ronald Vargas

Secretary of the Global Soil Partnership, Land and Water Officer (FAO)

Ronald is a soil scientist with over 20 years of working experience in natural resources management with a focus on sustainable soil management for food security and ecosystem services. He joined FAO in 2011 as a Land and Water Officer and is the Secretary of the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) since its establishment in 2012. He has supervised the implementation of the GSP and its regional soil partnerships and the establishment of the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils. He leads the technical and scientific cooperation within and among regions, coordinates and facilitates the stablishment of joint actions between governments, research institutions and NGOs for the achievement of soil-related SDGs. He promoted the UN International Year of Soils in 2015 and managed the publications of a wide range of soil related publications, including flagship publications such as the revised World Soil Charter, the Status of the World’s Soil Resources Report, the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management, the International Code of Conduct for the sustainable use and management of fertilizers, the Protocol for the assessment of Sustainable Soil Management, the Global assessment of soil pollution and the State of knowledge of soil biodiversity. Since its official endorsement by the UN General Assembly in 2014, he coordinates the World Soil Day annual campaigns and preparation of audience-specific technical and communication material. Since 2017, he also coordinated the successful organization of 5 science-policy symposia focussing on global soil threats: the Global symposium on soil organic carbon (2017), the Global symposium on soil pollution (2018), the Global symposium on soil erosion (2019), the Global symposium on soil biodiversity (2021) and the Global Symposium on Salt-affected Soils (2021).