World Soil Day
World Soil Day 2014: “Soils, foundation for family farming”
In 2002, the International Union of Soil Sciences
(IUSS), proposed the 5th of December 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 wellbeing.
- World
Soil Day was unanimously endorsed by the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in June 2013 and, In December
2013, the 68th UN General Assembly declared 5th of December as the World
Soil Day.
Since 2012, the Global Soil Partnership has been organising celebration events of this important day.
The World Soil Day logo and themes were endorsed by the members of the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) in July 2014.
For the International Union of Soil Scientists, World Soil Day
"celebrates the importance of soil as a critical component of the
natural system and as a vital contributor to the human commonwealth
through its contribution to food, water and energy security and as a
mitigator of biodiversity loss and climate change". To further raise
awareness, the FAO's Global Soil Partnership has declared the year 2015 as UN International Year of Soils.
Did you know?
Soil
is the basis for food, feed, fuel and fibre production and for services
to ecosystems and human well-being. It is the reservoir for at least a
quarter of global biodiversity, and therefore requires the same
attention as above-ground biodiversity. Soils play a key role in the
supply of clean water and resilience to floods and droughts. The largest
store of terrestrial carbon is in the soil so that its preservation may
contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation. The maintenance
or enhancement of global soil resources is essential if humanity’s need
for food, water, and energy security is to be met.
