1st International Conference Afro-Mediterranean Soils: Constraints and Potentialities for Durable Management

Healthy soils are crucial for ensuring food and fiber productions, resilience, adaptation and mitigation to climate change and variability. These challenges are more alarming in Afro-Mediterranean countries. As global economic growth and demographic shifts increase in these countries, the demand for vegetation in general and by products in particular (such as wood), animal feed, increases too, thus putting soils under tremendous pressure and rising their risk of degradation. In fact, desertification and soil degradation (erosion, salinization, etc.) are features of the landscape in these countries. Therefore, it is of capital importance to shift these trends by developing a new vision, including recent developments and technologies for managing soils to ensure a better fertility and environment conservation, and respond to the Climate Smart Agriculture approach (CSA).

 The 68th UN General Assembly has declared 2015 as the International Year of Soils (IYS). The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been nominated to facilitate the implementation of the IYS in collaboration with governments, relevant organizations, non-governmental organizations and all other relevant stakeholders. The IYS aims to increase awareness and understanding of the importance of soils for food security and essential ecosystem functions.

Therefore, the Fondation OCP and INRA Morocco in partnership with the FAO, will organize the first Conference on Afro-Mediterranean soils, on December 18th and 19th 2015, in Marrakech, on the occasion of the International Year of Soils. 

This conference focuses on the theats to soils and remedies needed for durable soil management, use and conservation.

High quality research papers on management and sustainable development of soils in order to enhance food and nutrition security, mitigate and adapt to climate change, combat desertification and provide income generating activities are especially welcomed. Aspects relevant to extension programs aiming to develop and enhance soil fertility resilience through best management practices (BMP) are also accepted.

Main topics:

Soil fertility and crop fertilization for sustainable productivity;
Soil behaviour under climate change context;
Soil carbon sequestration;
Role of extension for better soil management;
Soil contamination and decontamination;
Soil salinity and management;
Soil as component of organic farming in the Mediterranean context;
Soil erosion and desertification studies;
Remote Sensing and GIS for soil research and mapping;
Management of soil information.