The “China-Spain Summer School on Soil Health and Sustainability” successfully concluded with sessions held in Nanjing and Beijing. Co-organized by the Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ISSCAS), the Soil Science Society of China, and the Beijing Society of Soil Science, and supported by the International Union of Soil Sciences Young and Early Career Scientists Working Group, the Spanish Society of Soil Science, multiple Sino-Spanish institutions, and the embassies of both countries, the program brought together over 50 selected early-career researchers from China and Spain.
The summer school opened in Nanjing on June 6, with addresses by Renfang Shen, Director of ISSCAS; Adrián Gutiérrez Árboles, Counsellor at the Embassy of Spain in China; and Xin Ye, representing the Bureau of International Cooperation, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Expert lectures were delivered by Prof. Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo and Rosa M. Poch, among others, while participants engaged in hands-on sessions at the Soil Museum of China and field research stations in Zhenjiang. From June 8 to 12, all attendees took part in the 23rd World Congress of Soil Science, where they hosted a dedicated Summer School session featuring oral presentations and panel discussions. From June 13 to 15, the group moved to Beijing, visiting the Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences and the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS. Discussions centered on soil constraint mitigation, soil pollution remediation, and fertilizer innovation, alongside future collaborative initiatives.
Beyond intense academic exchange, the summer school remained true to its dual mission of “scholarly dialogue and cultural fusion,” effectively deepening Sino-Spanish cooperation in soil science and people-to-people ties. Participant representative Sana Boubehziz remarked that the experience was invaluable—not only broadening professional horizons but also forging cross-border friendships and enhancing mutual understanding of Chinese and Spanish academic cultures.
A group photo of the Summer School participants
Visiting the Soil Museum of China
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