Every year on December 5, we turn our attention to the soil beneath our feet – the essential foundation of life on our planet. World Soil Day is an international event dedicated to raising awareness about the critical importance of healthy soils for sustaining life on Earth.
Established by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), this day highlights the role of soil in providing essential ecosystem services, including food production and climate regulation.
World Soil Day also draws attention to the alarming rate of soil degradation caused by human activities.
Each year, World Soil Day revolves around a specific theme to address the biggest soil-related challenges. Past themes have included combatting soil salinisation, preventing erosion, and promoting soil biodiversity.
The theme for World Soil Day 2024, “Caring for Soils: Measure, Monitor, Manage,” focused on ways to promote soil health.
This theme highlights the vital importance of monitoring soils and collecting accurate data to inform sustainable management practices.
Why is soil important?
Soil is a fundamental resource that supports life on Earth in countless ways. It provides the foundation for nearly all terrestrial ecosystems by acting as the medium for plant growth, supplying nutrients, water, and oxygen essential for vegetation.
This vegetation, in turn, forms the base of food chains and provides resources for humans and animals. Healthy soil is essential for the productivity of crops that feed billions of people worldwide.
Beyond its role in food production, soil acts as a natural water filter, absorbing rainfall and replenishing groundwater while removing contaminants.
Soil supports human infrastructure, providing a stable foundation for buildings, roads, and other structures.
Healthy soil
Healthy soil is the foundation of environmental and human well-being, offering a wide range of benefits. It acts as a natural reservoir of nutrients, supporting the growth of healthy plants.
Through its ability to store and filter water, healthy soil helps maintain water quality and reduces the risk of flooding by preventing surface runoff.
Soil also plays a vital role in carbon sequestration, capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide, which helps to mitigate climate change.
Soil is a biodiversity hotspot. It provides habitats for countless organisms, from microbes to insects, which contribute to nutrient cycling and plant health.
By promoting crop resilience, healthy soil reduces the need for chemical fertiliser and pesticides. Its ability to retain moisture leads to better crop yields – even in periods of drought.
Soil degradation refers to the deterioration of the soil’s quality and health, which can result from a variety of factors such as poor land management, deforestation, overgrazing, urbanisation, and the excessive use of chemical fertiliser and pesticides.
This process leads to the loss of essential soil nutrients, reduced water retention, and the breakdown of soil structure.
As a consequence, the land becomes less productive, making it harder to grow crops and sustain plant life. Soil degradation also contributes to erosion, where the topsoil is washed away, leading to the further loss of fertile land.
Soil degradation is increasingly recognised as a growing issue across the globe. Over the past century, human activities such as agriculture, deforestation, urbanisation, and unsustainable land management practices have significantly accelerated soil degradation.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) estimates that about one-third of the world’s land is moderately to severely degraded. As the global population continues to rise, the demand for food, water, and land increases, further straining the planet’s soil resources.
In many regions, soil erosion, desertification, and nutrient depletion have become widespread, impacting agricultural productivity and food security.
Climate Change exacerbates the problem by altering rainfall patterns and increasing the frequency of extreme weather events, which can lead to further soil loss.
The idea of dedicating a day to soil was first proposed by the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) in 2002. This idea gained momentum with the support of Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who advocated for sustainable soil management throughout his reign.
In 2013, the UN General Assembly officially declared December 5 as World Soil Day to coincide with the Thai King’s birthday, honouring his life-long commitment to soil conservation.
Fragile resource
World Soil Day emphasizes that soil is a fragile resource, taking hundreds to thousands of years to regenerate naturally. It reminds us of the need for collective action to preserve soil health – from adopting sustainable agricultural practices to restoring degraded lands.
Through global participation, this occasion seeks to inspire individuals and communities to appreciate the critical role of soil in building a sustainable future.
Ultimately, healthy soil supports the balance of natural ecosystems and directly influences human health, livelihoods, and the planet’s capacity to thrive.
At global celebrations marking Word Soil Day 2024, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today highlighted the crucial need for accurate soil data and information to understand soil characteristics and support informed decision-making on sustainable soil management to ensure food security.
“You cannot manage what you cannot measure,” FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said in his opening video address for the official FAO World Soil Day (WSD) celebration held in Pak Chong, Thailand – marking the first time the event was hosted outside of FAO headquarters. “Globally, 1.6 billion hectares of land are degraded due to human activity, with over 60 percent of this damage occurring on valuable cropland and pastureland. To reverse this trend, we need sustainable soil management based on accurate soil data and information for informed decision-making,” Qu said.
The event in Thailand was connected via video link with a session of the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Saudi Arabia, where WSD is also being celebrated as part of Agrifood Systems Day. The session in Riyadh saw the launch of the Regional Action Plan for Sustainable Soil Management in the Near East and North Africa (NENA). (Earth.com, FAO)
