The dirt on soil is that it may be playing a major role in climate change, food security, and thus human health. Gates mentions a fact that "there’s more carbon in soil than in the atmosphere and all plant life combined." Lal emphasized that "soil erosion takes away the best part of the soil. Hiroshi Komiyama, PhD, President of The Japan Prize Foundation Nobel said that "an important criteria for selecting a Japan Prize Laureate is the betterment of the human condition." Drake felt that Lal's winning the Japan Prize could help bring more attention to soil science: "The Japan Prize is a wonderful world honor that doesn't happen everyday.

Source: Forbes April 15, 2019 03:33 UTC