On 25–26 June 2026, the 11th International Congress "Climate, Soil Fertility, and Agricultural Technologies" was held in Samara, Russia, bringing together representatives of the scientific community, government authorities, the agricultural sector, educational institutions, and international partners. The Congress was organized by the National Conservation Agriculture Movement, the Petersburg Dialogue Forum, the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, with co-organization by Samara National Research University and the Samara Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The event was supported by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation and the Agency for Strategic Initiatives.
The Congress focused on advancing sustainable soil management, improving soil fertility, and promoting climate-smart agricultural technologies. Key topics included soil health assessment, management of the soil microbiome, economic valuation of soil ecosystem services, and the development of carbon farming initiatives and carbon credit mechanisms for the agricultural sector. The plenary session featured representatives from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), regional authorities of the Samara Region, as well as leading research institutions and agricultural enterprises.
The Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute was represented by Dr. Mikhail V. Semenov, Head of the Laboratory of Soil Carbon and Microbial Ecology, who delivered a presentation entitled "Assessment and Management of the Soil Microbiome in Agroecosystems." The presentation addressed current concepts of biological soil degradation, approaches to assessing soil microbiome health, and emerging strategies for monitoring and managing microbial communities to restore soil fertility and enhance the resilience of agricultural ecosystems.
As part of the Congress, participants visited the Agro Engineering Agricultural Carbon Polygon in the Samara Region, where they were introduced to modern approaches for monitoring soils and agricultural landscapes. Demonstrations included the application of molecular biology and metagenomic techniques for soil microbiome analysis, as well as remote sensing technologies used to assess agroecosystem conditions and evaluate the effectiveness of climate-smart agricultural practices.
