Soil, Society and the Environment

Soil is a fragile, finite resource. How societies manage their soils can directly impact their environments and may even be a determining factor in a society’s long-term success or failure. President Franklin D. Roosevelt eloquently stated the significance of soils to the global community when he said, “A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself”. Soils, Society and the Environment, produced in cooperation with the Soil Science Society of America, the USDA Natural Resources Service and the U.S. Geological Survey, focuses mainly on soil as society’s primary source of food and fiber (such as cotton and wood). Growing plants in soil is the only known way to produce large quantities of these necessities, and the implications of that fact are profound. To increase public understanding and appreciation of soils, the American Geological Institute has prepared this publication in conjunction with the 18th World Congress of Soil Science to be held July 9-15, 2006, in Philadelphia. Includes a full-color poster with an investigative activity for students on back.