Gerard Velthof Appointed as special professor of Soil Nutrient and Carbon Management

Gerard Velthof (Elsloo, 1964) pursued his study in Soil Fertility and Fertilisation in Wageningen in the 1980s. Reflecting on his academic journey, he expressed, "Soils play a crucial role in food production. I was immediately interested in the effects of nutrient application, such as nitrogen, on the biological and chemical transformations in the soil and on plant growth."

Following his studies, he worked as a researcher at the Nutrient Management Institute (NMI). In 1997, he earned his PhD from WUR with a dissertation on the emission of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide from grassland.

Since 1999, he has been a senior researcher in Nutrient Management at the Sustainable Soil Management team of Wageningen Environmental Research. His research focuses on measures to mitigate emissions of greenhouse gases and nutrients from the soil to water and the atmosphere. He has coordinated numerous national and international projects, including several EU projects on the impact of agriculture on water quality and experimental research on nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils.

He serves as the chair of the Scientific Committee on Nutrient Management Policy (CDM), advising the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality scientifically on the substantiation of fertilizer and ammonia policy. Additionally, he chairs the Task Group on Agricultural Emissions of emission registration, responsible for the annual calculation of gaseous emissions from agriculture in the Netherlands.

Reflecting on the challenges facing agriculture, Gerard stated, "Agriculture is confronted with significant challenges, where the soil plays a crucial role. Good soil fertility is necessary to produce sufficient food, but soils also have a substantial impact on environmental emissions. Collaboration with the Soil Biology Chair Group gives the opportunity to study the impact of measures on biological soil processes that affect emissions. Comprehensive solutions are needed to simultaneously reduce nutrient leaching into water and nitrogen and greenhouse gas emissions into the air. I hope to contribute to these challenges through research and education in my role as special professor."