The Conference theme of ‘Green Carbon’ aims to clarify and highlight the often invisible yet vital link between soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil health, and the role this link plays in the sustainability of agricultural production and the flow of ecosystem services. However, the topics to be addressed by the Conference will not be restricted only to the importance of SOC for the overall soil quality and health but also include other sustainability and landscape issues intimately related to the role of soil carbon such as ecosystem functions and services, climate change mitigation and carbon offset, and socio-economic and policy aspects.

The Conference also seeks to alert EU policy stakeholders and technical officers of the urgent need to adopt sustainable soil and production system management practices of Conservation Agriculture (CA) to achieve the announced objectives of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) reform 2020.

The Green Carbon Conference is jointly organized by the European Conservation Agriculture Federation (ECAF), and the French Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (IAD) and promoted by the Life+ AGRICARBON project

STAKEHOLDERS

  • Scientists of any discipline dealing with sustainable soil, agriculture and landscape management.
  • Government and EU Commission officials and other policy stakeholders interested in or working on issues related to the sustainability of agriculture and the environment.
  • Private sector and non-governmental organizations interested in the advances towards sustainable farming and landscape management.
  • Farmers who want to know more about CA, which has a low carbon foot-print, and how it works in practice for greater productivity, profit and environmental sustainability.

CONFERENCE VENUE and LANGUAGE

The indoor Conference sessions will be held in Brussels at the facilities of the Bedford Hotel & Congress Centre, located in 135 Midi Street, B-1000 (April 1st and 2nd 2014). The Conference farm session will take place on a farm located in Namur (near Brussels) on April 3rd, 2014, where practical aspects of the concept of Conservation Agriculture and its role as a climate smart agriculture in sustainable intensification will be demonstrated.

All presentations and discussions during the indoor sessions will be held in English and no translation will be provided. The farmers’ presentations during the farm session will have translation into French, English and German.

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION

On-line registration is possible until March 10, 2014. Registrations received after this date will not be considered on-line and will have to be resubmitted at the Conference registration desk, from April 1, 2014.

DEADLINES

Submission of abstracts by: November 1, 2013

Communication of acceptance: November 15, 2013

Submission of full paper: February 14, 2014

Further instructions on the abstract, paper submission and format, and registration fees can be obtained at www.greencarbon-ca.eu