Vienna, 26 July 2022 (TDI): The IAEA Director General, Rafael Grossi opened the International Symposium in Vienna. The International Symposium on Managing Land and Water for Climate-Smart Agriculture 2022 will take place from 25-29 July. The IAEA in partnership with the United Nations Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) is hosting the Symposium.
Today I’m excited to open the Int’l Symposium on Managing Land and Water for Climate-Smart Agriculture, a gathering exploring the holistic approaches needed to tackle these crises — approaches that include the use of #nuclearscience. https://t.co/sAwWataMUo #Atoms4Climate
— Rafael MarianoGrossi (@rafaelmgrossi) July 25, 2022
The International Symposium
The five-day event aims to incorporate national and international experts from over 90 countries. These experts include decision-makers, scientists, academics, and researchers. It will also include officials from the United Nations organizations such as United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
They will discuss various topics like climate change and greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation strategies, soil erosion, land degradation, soil conservation measures, and many more.
“This Symposium serves as an international forum to discuss soil, water, and agricultural issues with the help of nuclear techniques”, said Lee Kheng, Scientific Secretary of the Symposium.
Grossi and the FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu will give opening remarks at the Symposium. Following this, Qingfeng Zhang Chief of Rural Development and Food Security Thematic at the Asian Development Bank will also give presentations.
Conflicts, the COVID-19 pandemic, growing populations, and the #climatecrisis, are all having a serious impact on our agri-food systems. In the past two years, world hunger has surged and in 2021 reached 828 million people. With @FAO, we’re acting to prevent the next #foodcrisis. pic.twitter.com/1LJn7wknu5
— Rafael MarianoGrossi (@rafaelmgrossi) July 25, 2022
Symposium activities
The participants will therefore give recent developments in nuclear and isotopic techniques. These techniques can enhance the global resilience of livelihoods to threats and crises. They will also note down the knowledge gaps and opportunities for development in climate-smart agricultural practices.
Climate-smart agriculture refers to utilizing science to enhance yields. This involves nuclear techniques, thus helping farmers enhance crop harvests. It also includes optimizing fertilizer usage and assessing crops for their efficiency.
They are also supposed to offer updated information on innovative approaches and new technologies for soil resilience and adaptation to climate change. Furthermore, they will also showcase new developments in nuclear technologies and tools.
FAO/IAEA
FAO and IAEA have been cooperating since 1964. IAEA and FAO also promote and support the execution of nuclear and related technologies in food and agriculture. FAO and IAEA does this through the IAEA/FAO Center.
