Topics

Session 1. Research findings on the water-soil-plant relationship under the climate change effect

The effects of climate change, which has been extensively studied and discussed, are clearly being felt  through more intense extreme weather events, including heatwaves, droughts and heavy rainfall. Therefore, it is crucial and essential to implement  sustainable farming methods as well as an intelligent and sustainable use of natural resources, with a focus on the link between water, soil, and plants. The following sub-themes can be addressed in order to meet the aims of the this session:

• Smart irrigation;Good Agricultural Practices
• Water and soil productivity
• Water-Energy Nexus
• Soil management face to climate changes
• Modelling of the water-soil-plant relationship

Session 2. Conservation and restoration of water and soil resources: Engineering and innovative tools.

In the current context of global changes  water and soil resources are being degraded more than ever for both agriculture and forestry systems. The paradigm of sustainable intensification, which needs to be based on the adoption of cutting-edge engineering technologies, is therefore requested for consideration. The following sub-themes can be addressed in order to meet the aims of the this session:

• Water and soil conservation techniques and practices;
• Remote sensing at the service of water and soil management;
• Forest soil management
• The challenges of soil rehabilitation for food security
• Management of unconventional water resources
• Hydrogeological modelling
• Ecological engineering
• Eco hydrology

Session 3. Dynamics of landscapes and ecosystems in the face of global changes

Compared to other terrestrial ecosystems, forests are more ecologically diverse. Nowadays, forests offer a range of ecosystem services including cultural and social benefits, flood mitigation, soil erosion effects reduction, and water and climate regulation. The following sub-themes will be covered in order to reach the session's goals:

• Forest, agroforestry and agro pastoral protection and development ;
• Forest Biology and Biodiversity ;
• Remote sensing at the service of forest management ;
• Forest ecosystem services ;
• Socio-economics of forest systems ;

Session 4. Towards a sustainable production system: socio-economic assessment of the agro-ecological transition

Nowadays, the interest in the agroecological transition is unambiguous evidence of agricultural resilience and ecosystem recovery. However, the socio-economic assessment is sometimes disregarded or treated superficially since the emphasis is generally  to restoring ecosystem and preservation of natural resources. The investigation of this aspect are the aim of this session including:

• Performance of value chains ;
• Profitability and economic and institutional efficiency at farm level ;
• Performance indicators: Water and Carbon footprint ;
• Concerted planning and territory development ;
• Collaborative engineering approaches in the development of the territory ;