International Year of Soils: The Younger Generations also deserve to hear the good news

Since the declaration of 2015 as the International Year of Soils (IYS) by the 68^th UN General Assembly, several activities have been proposed and carried out by relevant bodies to mark the IYS. These bodies include international organizations like the International Union of Soil Science (IUSS), national societies, such as the Soil Science Society of Nigeria (SSSN) and local bodies like Departments of Soil Science in the various Universities and Colleges around the world.

From the activities organized so far, it's clear that most of these initiatives are aimed at older generations, giving less attention to our youth.  From a certain point of view, this is justifiable since most farmers today are of a certain age. However, it is important to note that conserving the soil for sustainability depends on the integrated outcome of every individual contribution. With a fast growing global population and more mouths to feed, there is an urgent need for us to start putting efforts into “raising new generations of farmers”, equipped with the necessary knowledge and expertise.  The “role of soil” is fundamental in this respect. It must also be noted that sooner or later the present generations of farmers will be replaced by the younger ones; timely education and training can go a long way in improving the  knowledge and practices of our future farmers.

It is precisely for these reasons that myself and some other students, also in the Department of Soil Science and Land Resources Management of Obafemi Awolowo University (Nigeria), decided to come together to form a team and embark on the mission of taking this good news of the International Year of Soils to Secondary Schools in south westerm Nigeria. The major objective of the team is to enlighten these young men and women about the crucial role soil plays in food security and sustainable development. We tell them about the IYS and the reasons behind it, we explain what healthy soils are and why they are important, we point out the consequences of soil degradation, and finally what role they can play in preserving the soil. During these visits, we make use of charts and images to make the subject more appealing and comprehensible to the students. After the short talks, we give room for questions, and it's really amazing to witness how these young students are willing to find out more about soils and what they can do to help to conserve them.