This was the basic declaration of Lydia Bourguignon at the conference at Lycée de l'Athénée, salle Folmer, Luxembourg ville, yesterday 24 September 2015.

Through research and statistical studies based on more than 6,000 soil analyzes performed in Europe and the world for 25 years, Lydia and Claude Bourguignon have been able to define criteria for the quality and the uses of our soil. The specialisation they developed against all odds is vindicated by the UN's decision to declare 2015 the "International Year of Soils" in order to "inform and raise awareness on the essential role of soil in maintaining biodiversity and its contribution to food security. “The increased pressure exerted by man on land poses numerous threats to soils: erosion, loss of organic matter, acidification, waterproofing, etc.

Mr. José Graziano da Silva, FAO Director-General said “Placing sustainable land management at the center of international challenges is one of the ambitions of this year. "Healthy soils are not only the basis for food, fuel, fiber and pharmaceuticals but they are also essential for our ecosystems because they fill a very important role in the carbon cycle, they store and filter water and improve resilience to floods and droughts”.

Lydia and Claude gave us a very graphic presentation of where we are now and how, through a modern system of feudal rotation, we can bring our soils back to life, become more locally dependant again and even save time and money for the farmers. Clearly for us at MFTSE this is the way forward but we would love you to share with us your opinions and ideas.

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