2nd Meeting of the International Network on Salt-affected Soils INSAS | Uzbekistan, May 2023
The salinization and sodification of agricultural land are increasing due to climate change, water shortages, and unsustainable farming practices. It is projected that global drylands will increase by 23 percent by the end of the 21st century, with developing nations experiencing 80 percent of this increase. Severe water shortages are currently affecting 27 percent of the world's population (1.9 billion people), and this number is expected to rise to 42-68 percent (2.7-3.2 billion people) by 2050. These projections suggest that salt-affected soils will expand significantly in the coming decades, requiring farmers to adapt their farming strategies to maintain productivity amidst water scarcity and soil salinity. To address these issues and foster stronger connections between science, policy, and farmers, the International Network of Salt-Affected Soils (INSAS) will convene in Uzbekistan (Tashkent/Nukus). The event is organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Global Soil Partnership (GSP), the sub-regional Eurasian Soil Partnership (EASP), FAO country office in Uzbekistan, the World Bank, and the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS).
The Scientific Committee of the workshop on Managing Salt-Affected Soils for Sustainable Future is currently accepting abstracts that will compete for oral and poster presentations during this event. The abstracts should be submitted in English, maximum 3.000 characters (without spaces). The deadline for submission of abstracts is 20 April 2023. Abstracts should address one of the following themes:
- Mapping, assessing and monitoring of salt-affected soils;
- Sustainable management of salt-affected soils: Practices and policy;
- Halophyte and saline agriculture and its effect on soil health;
- Integrated soil and water management under saline/sodic conditions.
This 5-day meeting will be the opportunity to:
- Review the progress done by the network in the past two years (2021-2022) since INSAS’ first virtual meeting,
- Discuss and identify the priorities for the network,
- Develop the work plan for 2023-2024,
- Strengthen the cooperation between the members of INSAS,
- Improve capacities of the members by trainings.
The meeting will also include a workshop on salt-affected soils on the first day, where abstracts will be open to interested researchers and practitioners.
On the second day, INSAS working groups will have technical sessions on Assessment, Sustainable soil management, Water, and Crops, where members and stakeholders are expected to participate, and training on soil analysis will be jointly conducted with GLOSOLAN.
On the third day, training will be provided on salt-affected soils, including modeling solute transport, mapping soil salinity, and governance for sustainable management of salt-affected lands.
On the fourth and fifth days, a field trip to the former Aral Sea area in Karakalpakstan will take place.
The meeting will have both in-person and remote participation via Zoom. There is no registration fee, but participants are responsible for their travel, accommodation, and field trip expenses. More information about the agenda and INSAS can be found using the provided links.
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