Soil Poetry – a Succinct Way to Convey the Messages of Soils.

Soils have long been taken for granted by humans. Yet, soil loss and degradation remain one of the most insidious and under-acknowledged challenges in the 21^st century, during which humanity needs to take sustainability seriously. Because it is so commonplace, people often overlook soils and do not find them significant enough to spend time and effort to care about and nurture. The International Year of Soils 2015 offers a great opportunity to raise the awareness of the fundamental roles soils play in human life. The year 2015 is also a decisive year for setting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the global community, in which soils are an integral part of the United Nations’ SDGs initiative and Post-2015 agenda. Soil poetry is a succinct way to help increase the public’s understanding and appreciation of soils. In this presentation, several examples of soil poetry will be illustrated.