Watch the cartoon about MetteMarkus and sing the spire song
Do you know how many tiny insects and microscopic animals live in living topsoil? Watch the cartoon on our YouTube channel and join earthworm MetteMarkus on his adventures. Together with the Bounce Tail gang and other friendly earthlings, they help Frøydis and the thousand wheat seeds in the field grow, so that they turn into grain so we can bake bread.
Down-to-earth cartoon
Micro-life in the soil is important for food production. Most people are familiar with earthworms, but bacteria, nematodes, protozoa, fungi, arthropods and bacteria often receive less attention. Soil organisms have a huge impact on soil fertility, plant growth, soil structure and carbon storage. In our experience, there is very little popularised and visualised information on this topic. Soil conservation is about ensuring that today's population and our descendants have the opportunity to grow their own food on their own land.
Based on new research and professional information about the importance of micro-life in topsoil, we have created a 5-minute cartoon about living topsoil. The film is both fun and informative, and the characters work together to maintain good soil health. Here you will get an insight into the function of the various soil organisms in the food web that makes up ecosystems in soil.
The cartoon is a collaboration between Vitenparken and the Kore Foundation , and is made with support from Eckbo's endowment.
Make away with MetteMarkus
All this week you will receive a fun topsoil tile about MetteMarkus and life in the soil when you order make away from Vitenparken Café – a meal that is almost ready to serve. Over 90% of everything we eat comes from the soil and we want to make everyone aware of that. Vegetables, grains and even the feed for the animals that give us meat and milk come from cultivated land. The soil tile you get with the meal celebrates the diversity and interaction of organisms in the soil. Can you find them all? Follow the coordinate system on the soil tile, circle them, or color them in. We also encourage everyone to use the QR code on the soil tile to watch the cartoon about the earthworm MetteMarkus.
Scientists uncover Earth mysteries
Are you interested in topsoil? Find the latest research on topsoil in the research database Kore . Here you can stay up to date on knowledge about the nutrient network in topsoil and how soil quality affects the quality of food crops. Compost, biochar, tillage and fertilizer are other keywords for what you can find in the database. In the Kore database you will also find fact sheets and other online resources that you can use in your own articles, lectures or teaching.
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Would you like to know more about this project? Send an email to elise@vitenparken.no .