100 years of soil science: 'So much hope for the future, so much to do!'

After three days of debates, testimonies, shared experiences, ideas and proposals, the International Union of Soil Sciences conference in Florence, Italy concludes with a view to the future. Vatican News' Francesca Merlo reviews the event during which, she says, the alarm was raised about the damage wreaked on soil in particular by salinisation, climate change and war. However seeds of hope, she concludes, are being sown on a daily basis.