The 21st World Congress of Soil Science (https://www.21wcss.org/) will be held in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. This year’s theme “Soil Science: Beyond food and fuel” is an invitation to answer questions like: How to feed a hungry planet? How to fuel an energy-hungry planet? How to quench a thirsty planet? How to clean up our polluted planet? How to reach a balance between protection of biodiversity and sustainable land management for agriculture production? These, among many other questions, are subjects related to the multiple functions of soil.