Sessions

Description

The global population has surpassed 8 billion driven by an exponential growth since the 1960s, largely propelled by increased agricultural productivity from the green revolution. This revolution generated surplus food, freeing labor for industrial progress. However, this agricultural transformation has significantly impacted the planet. Excessive chemical fertilization has disrupted natural cycles, causing eutrophication in natural ecosystems and creating lifeless zones in oceans and biodiversity loose in terrestrial ones. To meet future food demands sustainably, there's a critical need for new agricultural approaches. Ecological intensification, also known as sustainable intensification, emerges as a nature base solution. This approach aims to mimic natural systems, achieving high yields with minimal inputs. The management of beneficial soil microorganisms is a pivotal component in ecological intensification. Presently, two approaches exist in this management realm. One advocates for the inoculation of specific strains, such as commercially-based microbial biofertilizers, while the other one, aiming to avoid the introduction of non-native organisms, advocates for soil management to foster local diversity. In both cases, numerous scientific studies demonstrate improvements in the yield of various crops due to soil microorganism management. The objective of the proposed session is to present the opportunity to showcase the role of both approaches in enhancing agricultural sustainability, allowing a balanced assessment of their respective advantages and disadvantages. The session will facilitate the presentation of works focusing on different method, selecting at least 4 for brief oral presentations of each approach, followed by a guided debate. During the presentations, key information will be collected to later facilitate interaction with the entire audience through online tools such as questionnaires, Poll Maker and similar platforms. Interactive questionnaires will be created that collect the main ideas presented, so that the entire audience can express their opinion about them, with the results projected live on the screen. The main objective is to encourage debate about when and where the use of foreign inoculum could be more appropriate compared to the promotion of native microbiota through agronomic management. One of the expected result of this season is observing whether there is a consensus on certain issues, or on which of them greater intensity of research is necessary.