Salty soil adventures - A collection of ten children’s stories from around the world
A collection of stories for kids worldwide to dig in and learn more about salt-affected soils!
In the framework of World Soil Day (WSD) 2021, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) and the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) launched a scientific children's booklet contest on salt-affected soils with the motto "Halt soil salinization, boost soil productivity". Since its inception in 2014, this annual awareness–raising campaign has successfully promoted the importance of healthy soils, advocated for the sustainable management of soil resources to billions of people, empowered youth through knowledge sharing and most importantly has successfully engaged children, teachers, and educators.
“Salty soil adventures- A collection of ten children’s stories from around the world” is the successful result of this campaign activity. Soil scientists, researchers, professors, teachers, students, soil practitioners, designers, writers, and photographers from all parts of the world submitted twenty-seven books addressed to children aged six to eleven. Their efforts were hugely successful at giving visibility to the importance of the fight against soil salinization while raising awareness of the need to protect healthy soils.
This special collection presents a selection of some of the best entries, keeping a balance between the regions that participated in the contest. Each story is told in a funny, beautiful, and unique way, to help children understand the importance of taking care of soil and the reality of salt-affected areas around the world. This special issue can serve as a useful and positive starting point for parents, schools, and educators to talk to their young audience about the urgency of this threat to healthy soils, and most importantly, why all of us should care.
By providing practical tools for young people, we motivate them to become actively involved in the preservation and improvement of soils - among other natural resources - and the life they sustain. Children and youth have an important role to play in addressing and overcoming the issues related to soil health. We invite all children to explore the various aspects of soils, to understand the danger that salinization poses to our lives, but also to immerse themselves in the amazing richness of saline and sodic ecosystems!