The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, its Global Soil Partnership (GSP) and Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS), together with the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the International Network on Salt-affected soils (INSAS), the Science-Policy Interface of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (SPI-UNCCD), the International Center on Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS), the International Network of Salt-Affected Soils (INSAS), and the Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture (WASAG) are pleased to invite you to the Global Symposium on Salt-affected Soils (GSAS21) "Halt soil salinization, Boost soil productivity". The event will be a fully virtual science-policy meeting held on 20-22 October 2021.
OBJECTIVES
GSAS21 will bring together over three thousand international participants with the aim of sharing knowledge on salinity prevention, management, and adaptation in the context of food security, climate change and ecosystem restoration and establishing critical connections among policy makers, food producers, scientists, and practitioners.
HIGH-LEVEL OPENING SESSION
FAO Director-General will open the symposium along with H.E. Jamshid Khodjaev (Minister of Agriculture, Government of Uzbekistan), The Honourable Penelope Wensley AC (National Soils Advocate, Australia), Mr Ibrahim Thiaw (Executive Secretary, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification - UNCCD), Mr Aziz Karimov (Head of the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture - ICBA - Regional Office for Central Asia and South Caucasus) and Ms Laura Bertha Reyes Sánchez, (President of the International Union of Soil Sciences - IUSS).
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Eminent scientists will set up the scene of the Symposium: Ms Angelica Kaus (University of Groningen), Mr Raul Lavado (University of Buenos Aires), Ms Kristina Toderich (International Platform for Dryland Research and Education, Tottori University), Mr John Triantafilis (Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research), and Mr Piet Nell (Agricultural Research Council).
AGENDA
During the Symposium, over 80 keynote addresses and oral presentations will be delivered and seventy scientific posters will be displayed under four main categories:
Theme 1: Assessment, mapping, and monitoring of salt-affected soils;
Theme 2: Integrated soil-water-crop solutions in rehabilitation and management of salt-affected areas;
Theme 3: Agenda for action to prevent and rehabilitate salt-affected soils, protect natural saline and sodic soils, and scale-up sustainable soil management practices.
Testimonies from the field: Good practices to manage salt-affected soils.
Download the agenda here.
Register for the event - https://fao.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_V0bT5cFoSB6p0U24EowfCQ