World Soil Day: The World Grows into Action End
World Soil Day is observed on 5th December every year. This international day is focused towards spreading the message of soil health and good management practice towards sustainable management. On this day, a call is made to remind that soil is necessary to support life on earth in food, water, and habitat.
The world soils face the most ever since industrialization and rise in population to consume more natural resources. More strength in action and policy direction on the right path towards better management of soils in order to save the planet and its future would be called for during World Soil Day this year. The soils are the most important part of the Earth’s ecosystem: supporting more than 90% of global food production, water filtration, carbon storage, and provision of habitats for an incredible number of species. However, time is going with the fact that humans have been destroying this precious treasure. Severe soil degradation is a problem through deforestation, intensive farming, urbanization, and industrialization.
These factors like nonfertility, erosion, pollution, and compaction cause loss of soils. According to the experts, soil degradation is among the most serious environmental issues for today, and at a rough estimation, nearly one-third of all of Earth’s soils is degraded now. It also represents tremendous risks to agriculture and food production and biodiversity. Soil degradation is not only an effect on food security but also contributes to climate change because of the loss of carbon storage by the soils, thereby naturally increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
World Soil Day 2023 chose the theme, Soils: Where Food Begins-the urgent need to protect and restore soils for sustainable food production.
Yet another day that calls one to advocate for the promotion of agroforestry, crop rotation, and conservation tillage, amongst other sustainable agriculture practices which could help regain soil health and reduce the adverse impact of soil degradation. This is a realization that, for long, the United Nations, through its food and agriculture organization, has put into consideration in its appeal for investment into sustainable management of soils.
Other activities by FAO include soil-friendly policies that allow the farmers to move towards more soil-friendly, fertile, and minimal chemical and fertilizer use practices.
The organisation has promoted many dynamic soil conservation programs that mobilize the local communities, farmers, and other participants in restoring and protecting soils.
Degrades are viewed beyond a narrow agricultural productivity perspective. Another example includes erosion, loss of valuable topsoil through erosion and pollution industrial sources that have contaminated toxic residues in the soil, affecting agriculturability. Climate change brings alteration in the patterns of precipitation, enhancement of drought frequency as well as extreme weather events in the form of floods that further erode soil.
International accords and national policies have been focusing on these aspects in recent years. In the decree on ecosystem restoration designated as such for this decade from 2021-2030 by the UN, it had initially emphasized the soil restoration component. All nations were challenged and encouraged to use them sustainably while rehabilitating soil degradation where potential improvement could include better food security and decreasing poverty; while still helping mitigate against climate change effects. World Soil Day has something that governments, organizations, and people can do on the last Monday in November-to push for sustainable practices and create public awareness. Communities can be mobilized to take more effective actions in local soil conservation. Farmers are challenged to engage in land husbandry practice-activities like reduced tillage, organic fertilizers, and diversified crop systems. Some of the approaches used for enhancing soil health include minimum use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides since they are known to degrade the soil with time. Instead, soil productivity can be maintained and enhanced by organic means through compost application as well as manure and crop residues.
Conclusion:The agro-ecological approaches that incorporate biodiversity in farming systems have been recognized as critical for improvement of soil health and resiliency of ecosystems. Besides these good agriculture practices, the two most effective ways of fighting soil degradation are reforestation and afforestation. In general, trees play a major role in preventing soil erosion apart from improving structure and augmenting fertility. Afforestation adds back degraded lands, increases carbon sequestration, and biodiversity for countries. The day reminds people about soils’ health on this planet and overall health are interconnected. Urgent protection and restoration of soils by governments, organizations, and individuals shall be done for food security, the reduction of climate change, and the preservation of ecosystems for future generations. Sustainable soil management is important, not just to the farmer but all of us in our quest to have a healthy planet.
Source: United Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)