FAO, the Global Soil Partnership, the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS), together with the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Global Soil Biodiversity Initiative (GSBI), and the Science-Policy Interface of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (SPI UNCCD), are pleased to invite you to the Global Symposium on Soil Biodiversity (GSOBI) "Keep soil alive, protect soil biodiversity". The event will be a fully virtual science-policy meeting held on 19-22 April 2021. 

It will bring together over three thousand international experts to review soil biodiversity's role in the context of food security, climate change, and ecosystem restoration.  It will also collate scientific evidence that could be assessed in the framework of the Agenda 2030 (SDGs). 

Symposium keynote speakers 

Daphne Miller, Department of Family Medicine, University of California, USA

"Whether we are talking about microbes, plants, insects, animals, or humans, there is an abundance of evidence that diversity promotes health and resilience"; 

Felipe Pasini| Farmer, Brazil

"Sustainable agriculture directly depends on the biodiversity in the soil. The more we understand about the magnificent organisms that live under our feet, the greater the urgency to drastically rethink the way we grow our food";

Diana Wall | School of Global Environmental Sustainability - Colorado State University, USA

"Soil biodiversity is a needed key for a changing world as it supports human well-being and helps to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals";

Wim H. van der Putten | Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, the Netherlands

"Soil biodiversity lessons from nature help to suppress soil-borne diseases incidence in crop production systems and develop long-term strategies towards ecologically sustainable food production". 

 Agenda

During the Symposium, hundred and twenty oral presentations will be given, and above fifty scientific posters displayed under three main themes:

THEME 1: State of knowledge on soil biodiversity;

THEME 2:  Soil biodiversity in action;

THEME 3:  Soil biodiversity shaping the future of food systems. 

Simultaneous interpretation

On the first day, the plenary session of the Symposium will be interpreted into the six FAO languages, while the following days - organized through parallel sessions - will be held in English only. All sessions will be recorded and made available to participants together with the PowerPoint presentations.

To join the event, please register here.