The 7th Workshop of the FAO GSP’s International Network of Black Soils (INBS) will be organized in the Post‑Congress Tour 5 of the 23rd World Congress of Soil Science (WCSS2026), held in Changchun, China, on 13 June 2026. The workshop provides a global platform for advancing dialogue on black soils, sustainable black soil management for ensuring food security, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and ecosystem services.

Black soils are carbon-rich and naturally fertile soils that play a critical role in global agricultural production and food security. However, these soils are increasingly threatened by degradation due to unsustainable land use, erosion, nutrient depletion and climate change. The INBS workshop represents a key step in promoting the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (VGSSM) by advancing global solutions to protect, restore and sustainably manage black soils.

By bridging science and policy, the workshop will review the status of black soils worldwide, assess current challenges, identify scientific, technological and legislative gaps, and showcase proven sustainable soil management practices. Emphasis will be placed on the contribution of sustainable black soil management to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), food security, ecosystem services and climate resilience.

Aim and objectives

The aim of the 7th INBS workshop is to promote the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management (VGSSM) for the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of black soils, and to strengthen science–policy dialogue in support of informed decision-making.

• Review and discuss existing national and international policies, strategies, agreements and frameworks contributing to the prevention of black soil degradation and assess their effectiveness.
• Explore ways to enhance sustainable management, assessment and monitoring of black soils and promote regional and international technical and scientific cooperation.
• Identify and review innovative management practices and technologies for the management and utilization of black soils.
• Report on the progress of the International Network of Black Soils and develop an annual work plan for the network.

Expected outcomes

The workshop is expected to generate science-based and policy-relevant recommendations for the sustainable management and restoration of black soils, drawing on global experiences and successful case studies. These recommendations will be consolidated into an agenda for action to guide future INBS activities and support countries in addressing black soil degradation. 

Workshop structure

The 7th INBS workshop will be organized as a science–policy–practice dialogue, including a high-level opening session, regional technical sessions on the status and challenges of black soils, a session on INBS progress, and a dedicated discussion on the development of the network’s future work plan.

Agenda 13 June 2026

Opening

8.30–9.00 — Welcome and opening remarks

• Director General, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (TBC)
• Lifeng Li, Director, Land and Water Division, FAO (video message) (TBC)
• Miguel Angel Taboada (Argentina), Chair of INBS

Technical Session 1

9.00–10.15 — Black soils – Status and Solutions – Session 1

• Takashi Kosaki, Aichi University and Kyoto University, Japan
• William Richard Horwath, Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, United States of America
• Deli Chen, University of Melbourne, Australia

Group photos and coffee break — 10.10 - 10.30

Technical Session 2

10.30–12.30 — Status and Solutions – Session 2

• Miguel Angel Taboada, College of Agronomy, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Kazuyuki Inubushi, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Japan
• Cornelius Wilhelm Van Huyssteen, University of the Free State, South Afric
• Xingyi Zhang, China

Lunch break — 12.30 - 13.30

Technical Session 3

13.30–15.55 — Black soils – Status and challenges – Session 3

• Lúcia Helena Cunha Dos Anjos, Rural Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Gilles Colinet, University of Liège, Belgium
• Syuntaro Hiradate, Kyushu University, Japan
• Alexey Sorokin, Soil Science Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University
• Kristina Ivashchenko, Kovda Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science, Pushchino, Russian Federation

Coffee break — 15.55–16.10

Technical Session 4

16.10–17.35 — Black soils – Status and Solutions –Session 4

• Yiyi Sulaeman, Research Center for Food Crops, Research Organization for Agriculture and Food, Indonesia
• Enkhtuya Bazarradnaa, Agroecology and Business School of Mongolian University of Life Sciences, Darkham Uul, Mongolia
• Ekaterina Filimonenko, University of Tyumen, Tyumen, Russian Federation
• Guiqing Han, China

Agenda 14 June 2026

Technical Session 5

08.30–10.15 - Black soils– Status and Solutions- Session 5

• Michael L Thompson, Iowa State University, President of Soil Science Society of America, United States of America
• Liudmila Orlova, National Movement for Conservation Agriculture, Samara National Research University, Russian Federation
• Ivan Vasenev, Russian State Agrarian University - Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy, Russian Federation
• Yakov Kuzyakov, University of Göttingen, Germany

Technical Session 5

10.25–12.30 - Black soils– Status and Solutions- Session 6

• Sunsanee Arunyawat, Research and Development on Soil and Water Conservation Group, Land Development Department, Thailand
• Mikhail Vyacheslavovich Semenov, Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Moscow, Russian Federation
• Xinhua Peng, China
• Ying Zhang, China

Lunch break — 12.30–13.30

Progress report of INBS

13.30–15.00 — Presentation

• INBS progress (2025–2026)
• Work plan development (2026–2027)

15.00–16.30 — Discussion

• Webinars on black soil management
• Black Soil Model of Global Soil Doctors Programme (GSDP)
• Black soils protocol
• Resource mobilization for black soil management and restoration

15–17 June

Attending the post-conference tours of the 23rd World Congress of Soil Science: Northeast Thin Black Soil Region Scientific Expedition