ACCS - Costa Rica won the second Award with Manos al suelo 

This year the selection committee assessed 35 candidatures complying with the theme of last year World Soil Day: WSD2018 ‘Be the Solution to Soil Pollution’. Manos al suelo/Hands on Soil promoted  (1) a massive application of compost on over 3 000 trees; (2) a hill entirely dedicated to soil conservation practices; (3) a soil fair with compost-making workshops and urban farming demonstrations.  ACCS also pushed for the National Decarbonization Plan, to become the World’s first Carbon-Free country by 2021, and sponsored the National Composting and Waste Recycling Plan with regular fora of discussion and seminars on soil functions and ecosystem benefits. ACCS established a National Soil and Land Partnership: interviews triggered public engagement and outreach with a great involvement of the press, media, social networks, and online communities. More than 2200 people including children, youth, farmers, citizens, private companies, policy makers and government officials put their ‘Manos al Suelo’ … including the President and the First Lady!