Soil and Water Management in salt affected areas: practical solutions and tools

The Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture (WASAG) hosted by the FAO Land and Water Division organized a series of webinars in collaboration with its Partners.

The working group on “Saline Agriculture, under the framework of WASAG, is organized a webinar titled "Soil and Water Management in salt affected areas: practical solutions and tools" to share knowledge and experience in addressing the multiple challenges related to agriculture of these zones. Aim of the Webinar was to the understand major issues and the role that tailored soil management and irrigation techniques can play in ensuring food security in such areas. The webinar brought together irrigation practitioners (researchers, Government officials, service providers) from around the world to showcase solutions and tools provided by their experience.

Some of the key aspects of the dialogue focused on global projects related to the practice of irrigation with brackish or saline waters, as well as innovative approaches and solutions in managing saline soils. Under the COVID-19 pandemic, unprecedented challenging conditions push the attention on how local food production can be enhanced by utilizing low-quality water and land resources, such as in salt-affected soils.

Presentations

• Irrigation management under saline conditions – Marco Arcieri, PhD
• Biosaline agriculture techniques – Soil and water salinity in Cabo Verde context
• Water management in land reclamation in Areas of Southern Spain – Dr Francisco Pedrero Salcedo
• Water management in land reclamation in Areas of Northern Italy – Dr Tommaso Letterio
• The Global Soil Partnership and Soil Salinity – Zineb Bazza
• Learned lessons from saline soil management and saline agriculture projects – Ahmed Hamdy El-Naggar, Ph.D
• Potentials of bio-based fertilisers in managing nutrients and soil properties in saline areas – Gergely Tóth, PhD

Speakers

Dr Torkil Jønch Clausen - International Water Adviser

Mr Felix Britz Reinders - President, International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage - ICID

Mr Marco Arcieri - Vice President, International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage - ICID

Ms Angela Moreno - President, Institut National de Recherche et Développement Agraire INIDA/MAA – Cape Verde

Mr Tommaso Letterio - Technical Researcher, CER – Consorzio Emiliano Romagnolo

Mr Francisco Pedrero - Researcher/Scientist, Applied Biology and Soil Sciences (CEBAS) Irrigation Department. Spanish National Research Council -CSIC SPAIN

Ms Zineb Bazza - GSP, FAO

Mr Ahmed Elnaggar - Soil Management Scientist - ICBA

Mr Gergely Tóth - head of the Department of Soil Science and Environmental Informatics, University of Pannonia  and scientific advisor at the Agricultural Research Centre, Hungary

Ms Ana Laura Touza - FAO representative in Cabo Verde

Programme

Moderator: Torkil Jønch Clausen, WASAG Chair

15:00-15:05	Opening remarks - Felix Britz Reinders, President ICID
15:05-15:45	WATER Irrigation management under saline conditions  - Marco Arcieri, ICID Biosaline agriculture techniques: soil and water salinity in Cabo Verde – Angela Moreno, INIDA Water management in land reclamation areas of southern Spain - Francisco Pedrero, CEBAS Saline water management in land reclamation areas of northern Italy - Tommaso Letterio, CER Q&A
15:45-16:25	SOIL International Network on Salt-Affected Soils (INSAS) and salinity mapping - Zineb Bazza, FAO Show cases for managing saline soil - Ahmed El-Naggar, ICBA Potentials of bio-based fertilizers in managing nutrients and soil properties in saline areas - Toth Gergely Q&A
16:25-16:30	Closing remarks - Ana Laura Touza, FAO Rep Cabo Verde

 

02/06/2020