FAO, the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS) of the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) and The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are co-organizing the Global Symposium on Soil Organic Carbon (GSOC17) taking place at FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy from 21-23 March 2017. A scientific meeting welcoming more than 400 experts representing all regions of the world to exchange latest knowledge and innovative ideas on:

• Measuring, mapping, monitoring and reporting Soil Organic Carbon (SOC)
• Maintaining and/or increasing SOC stocks for climate change mitigation and adaptation, and Land Degradation Neutrality
• Managing SOC in soils with (a) high SOC - peatlands, permafrost, and black soils; (b) grasslands and livestock production systems and (c) in dryland soils

The Academia and Research Institutions are actively participating to the symposium around the theme:Measuring, mapping, monitoring and reporting Soil Organic Carbon. Moscow Lomonosov State University contributes in the Application of the FAO Ex-ACT Tool for carbon balance accounting in the agroecosystems of Tajikistan, Texas A&M Agrilife Research emphasizes on the Grasslands and Livestock production systems, and Wageningen University participates to the discussion on the high-resolution spatially-explicit methodology to assess global soil organic carbon restoration.

GSOC17 will contribute to the efforts of ending hunger and malnutrition, climate change adaptation, reversing land degradation, and overall sustainable development   while linking sustainable soil management and climate change mitigation and adaptation. Read the concept note and agenda. Watch the webcast.