Everything is nothing without Soils

© Photothek

If they had a human voice, it would be a single, piercing scream. “But they do speak to us,” says a woman in a dark grey hall. “We’re just not listening.” Junnie R. Wangari is barely audible herself, here in the hall in Berlin, where the chairperson of Kenya’s organic fertilizer association Ofiak has gathered with around 150 experts to take stock: What is the current state of soils worldwide? What impact have previous protection measures had – and what needs to be done moving forward? These are the questions being tackled over three days at the international conference “Partners for Change – SOILutions for a Food Secure, Resilient, and Sustainable Future” in Berlin. At its heart: the role of soil in sustainable agriculture and food systems. Participants include representatives from governments, international organizations, think tanks, science, civil society, and the private sector. The conference was initiated by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), in collaboration with the European Commission and the Gates Foundation.