The School

The United Nations predicts that a 50-70% increase in agricultural production will be needed to feed the estimated 9 billion people who will live on this planet in 2050. As the global population grows, the great challenges that agricultural chemists face today will become critical in the years ahead. Land has long been recognized as a finite resource, and degraded farmland cannot be readily replaced. Soil erosion and degradation, depletion of water resources, environmental pollution, climate change, are only some of the stresses that agricultural systems are called to cope with. The rhizosphere is a complex system occurring at the root-soil interface, where multiple factors interact together, and which properties have an impact on plant and soil health and adaptation to stress. Therefore, the use of sustainable and technologically advanced approaches is needed to maintain the quality and quantity of crop production.

This edition of the international Agricultural Chemistry Winter School will focus on these issues, and promote the importance of agricultural chemistry among young scientists in an international, friendly and casual environment. The Winter School, organized by the Italian Society of Agricultural Chemistry (SICA) and hosted by the Dept. of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences of the University of Udine, is offered to doctoral students, post-docs and early-stage researchers, and aims at providing an opportunity to: (i) exchange and extend understanding of the theoretical, conceptual and applicative aspects regarding soil, plant and environmental sciences; (ii) provide useful insights into novel methodological and analytical approaches; (iii) build and sustain research networks; and (iv) consolidate scientific writing and presentation skills. The programme will therefore provide a series of activities including keynote lectures, seminars, workshops, as well as oral and poster presentations by the participants.