World Soil Day
World Soil Day (WSD) is held annually on 5 December as a means to focus attention on the value of healthy soil and to advocate for the sustainable management of soil resources for a food-secure future. The date of 5 December for WSD was selected because it corresponds with the official birthday of H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the King of Thailand, who officially sanctioned the event
Soil is home to more than 1/4 of our planet’s biodiversity. We only know 1% of this universe. There are more living creatures in a single teaspoon of healthy soil than there are people on Earth. Soil organisms are responsible for several critical ecosystem processes on which humans depend: from helping plant growth, to storing carbon and being a vast reservoir for pharmaceuticals.
Soil biodiversity is under hazard. Half of the topsoil on earth has been lost in the last 150 years, with a staggering 26.4 billion lots of soil lost annually, a rate that is 10 times faster than soil is being replenished. Soil disintegration is additionally a considerable yet largely forgotten contributor to carbon emissions.
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World Soil Day 2020:Know the importance of soil
- Soil is a living resource and home to more than 25% the planet’s plant life
- 95% of our food comes from the soil
- Quality and quantity of fruits, vegetables and food grains depend on the health of the soil
- Soil organisms are constantly at work to sustain life on Earth
- Soil helps fight climate change and global warming
World Soil Day: How to stop soil pollution
- Avoid single-use plastic
- Choose eco-friendly, gardening, cleaning and personal care products
- Dispose of hazardous waste like batteries responsibly
- Compost your food waste
- Adopt a plant-based diet
- Let’s be the solution to stop soil pollution
World Soil Day 2020 Theme
‘Keep soil alive, Protect soil biodiversity’
History of World Soil Day
The International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS), in 2002, adopted a resolution proposing that 5 December be marked as World Soil Day to celebrate the importance of soil as a critical component of the natural system and as a vital contributor to human well-being.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) Conference, in June 2013, unanimously endorsed World Soil Day and requested official adoption at the 68th UN General Assembly. In December 2013, the 68th UN General Assembly declared 5 December as the World Soil Day.
See Other Important Days and Dates In December 2020: National And International
How to celebrate World Soil Day?
The very best method to celebrate this day is to do precisely what scientists the world over so severely requires to: educate ourselves. A massive amount of damage is done to the planet every year due not to ill will, however to lack of knowledge– a number of us merely do not know enough about the earth to know when we are damaging it, sometimes irreparably.
As it turns out, there are a number of things we regular individuals can do that can significantly help the soil we live off of stay in good condition. For example, we can plant a rain garden. For those of you who may not know what a rain garden is, it’s a shallow depression in the backyard or garden rainwater can easily stream into, which helps reduce soil disintegration.
It is also a great idea to lower the quantity of surfaces such as driveways and outdoor patios to a minimum, as water streaming over them acquires momentum and triggers more erosion than it generally would when it reaches the soil. If you definitely need to have that patio, you could consider having it developed with paving stones so rainwater can flow directly downward into the soil instead.
Another easy method you might set about saving soil (and in this case, water also) is to have a rain barrel placed someplace where it can collect rainwater streaming off your roofing, which you can then use to water your yard. Whatever you choose to do, remember that even the tiniest gestures can make a big difference to Mother Nature!
How we contribute to World Soil Day?
Society must be more dedicated to promoting sustainability, and contribute to a number of the Sustainable Development Goals in new creative ways. For World Soil Day, three of these efforts enter into greater focus as we highlight efforts that support the cause.
It’s dark and crumbly, and does not look really interesting at first look, but soil plays a larger part in our lives than you may realise. 95% of our food originates from soil. What’s more, soil holds three times as much carbon as the environment, which can help us manage the challenges of a changing climate.
To celebrate soil and raise global awareness of its importance, World Soil Day is celebrated every year on the 5th of December, at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) headquarters in Rome, the regional offices, and through national and local events.
The UN has 17 Sustainable Development Goals which resolve global challenges, and promote a more sustainable future and better lifestyle. 4 of these goals help assist in the fight against soil pollution by having objectives which take into consideration our natural deposits and how they associate with food and security.
We should all strive to promote sustainable agriculture in an effort to end hunger. Given that 50% more food will be needed for the world and its growing population by 2050, while our natural resources are being quickly deteriorated, we need a more effective and viable way of producing food (FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO, 2017).
