To highlight the book’s contents, the two editors Øystein Haugerud and Eirik Kolsrud used a potato fork to unearth a copy from a heap of soil at the launch event.

The editors praised the joint effort that went into publishing the book, which covers topics such as soil life, soil carbon, compost, soil health and the interaction between soil organisms. With its 430 pages, including numerous pictures and illustrations, the book provides plenty of knowledge and inspiration.
- I hope that the book will help to awaken people’s curiosity and contribute to more awareness about our soils, said Øystein Haugerud. - A lot of people have contributed to the book in various ways, explained Eirik Kolsrud, - including the Norwegian Agriculture Agency, which has funded several soil projects. Eirik especially thanked Emil Mohr and Helge Vittersø, both of whom were present.

At the launch, a video greeting from the Minister of Agriculture and Food, Ms. Olaug Bollestad was shown. She congratulated on the publication and said that she hopes the book will contribute to better soil management, both agronomically and in the context of farmland preservation, by increasing the awareness and valuation of soil.

Otto Galberg, Head of Section at the County Governor of Oslo and Viken, underlined that the book’s authors are pioneers in their respective areas. – Projects carried out by the County Governor don’t often conclude with something as tangible as a book, said Otto, thanking everyone for their effort.

More than 20 authors contributed to the book. One of the main authors is Reidun Pommeresche from NORSØK, who wrote chapters on soil carbon and on several of the organisms that make up the soil biota. Reidun also gave a talk on soil organisms at the book launch.