The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), its Global Soil Partnership (GSP) and Aarhus University invite you to Global Symposium on Soil Compaction. This science-policy symposium, bringing together worldwide experts, will advance global understanding, research collaboration and policy development around soil compaction, its impacts, assessment and mitigation.
Aim and objectives
The objective of the symposium is to advance global understanding, research collaboration, and policy development around soil compaction, its impacts, assessment and mitigation. Through multidisciplinary dialogue, the symposium aims to bridge scientific knowledge, technological innovation, policy and practical application to promote sustainable soil management. Specifically, the objectives of this Symposium are to:
Discuss advanced scientific understanding of soil compaction and its impacts on soil functions, crop, grassland and rangelands’ performance, ecosystems goods and services, and climate;
Exchange knowledge on innovative methods, tools, and practices for assessing, preventing, and mitigating soil compaction across different land uses;
Support dialogue on policy frameworks, regulatory approaches, and harmonized monitoring systems for evidence-based soil protection; and
Identify socio-economic barriers and opportunities for adopting sustainable soil management practices, and to foster collaboration and cross-sector partnerships.
The outcomes of the symposium are expected to directly inform the development of actionable recommendations, technical briefs, and guidance for countries and stakeholders, and will contribute to FAO’s normative work and global soil and agricultural land management and restoration initiatives.
Main themes
The Symposium will bring science and policy together to review the status and challenges of soil compaction. It will be divided into five main themes:
Theme 1: Soil compaction effects on cropland and pastureland sustainable production and ecosystem functioning.
Theme 2: Machinery-Soil interactions and impact of livestock on compaction.
Theme 3: Assessment, monitoring, and data harmonization.
Theme 4: Prevention and mitigation strategies and risk assessment.
Theme 5: Barriers and solutions to the adoption of soil compaction prevention and mitigation measures.
Call for abstracts
The Global Symposium on Soil Compaction is inviting the submission of abstracts from researchers, practitioners, policymakers, industry representatives, and other stakeholders engaged in soil compaction and sustainable soil management for soil compaction mitigation.
Abstracts should present the objectives, methodology, key results, and significance of the work, and must relate to one or more symposium themes. Submissions should be written in English and not exceed 3 000 characters, following the guidelines provided in the online submission system.
All abstracts will undergo peer review by the Scientific Committee, which will select contributions for oral and poster presentations based on scientific quality, relevance, and originality. Authors of accepted abstracts will receive notification of acceptance along with presentation details. The symposium also welcomes contributions from international organizations, research networks, and professional communities.
The call for abstracts will open in February 2026, with the deadline for submissions on 30 April 2026. Notifications of acceptance will be issued early June 2026.