The documentary 'Soil=Life,' created with the participation of researchers from the Institute for Soil Sciences at the HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research (HUN-REN CAR), won an award at the 39th Agrofilm international film festival on 6th October 2023. The film was produced by Dr. Péter László, written and directed by Gábor Hermann, with cinematography by Attila Turbék, drone cinematography by Bálint Turbék, editing by Imola Fejér, and audio engineering by Gergely Nagy. The Hungarian premiere was screened on the occasion of World Soil Day on 5th December 2022 at the Ministry of Agriculture and on YouTube.
Intensive farming has left a significant proportion of the world’s farmland in a degraded state or already permanently destroyed. Soil is the basis of our food production and is threatened by many environmental impacts. These include deflation, when wind blows the topsoil away, sometimes in the form of dust clouds, as well as erosion caused by water or human influence such as excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides. Soil is one of our greatest resources, and if we don't take care of it, it will become unproductive. About half of Hungary’s land is under cultivation, which could produce enough food for nearly 20 million people. However, two-thirds of our land is under threat from some form of fertility-reducing soil degradation.
In order to change this process, we need a change of mindset and a smart, knowledge-based, even soil-centred, sustainable, climate-smart agriculture. The Institute for Soil Sciences of HUN-REN CAR is participating in the elaboration within the framework of the EJP SOIL European project.
The film was funded by the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH) through a Mecenatúra grant.
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