WORLD SOIL DAY

World Soil Day: 5th December

The International Year of Soils, 2015 (IYS 2015) was declared by the Sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly on December 20th, 2013 after recognizing December 5th as World Soil Day.

The purpose of the IYS was to raise awareness worldwide of the importance of soils for food security, agriculture, as well as in mitigation of climate change, poverty alleviation, and sustainable development.

The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) and the American Society of Agronomy (ASA) have invited the public to continue to celebrate World Soil Day on the 5th of December on an ongoing basis.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has implemented the hashtag, #WorldSoilDay, and a campaign “Stop soil erosion, Save our future,” with suggestions for activities by students, farmers, teachers, NGOs and private sector organizations.

A map of International World Soil Day events is available online, as well as a list of yearly World Soil Day campaigns, a poster with World Soil Day Activities from the FAO, educational materials, and a downloadable colouring book for children.

The University of Michigan Museum of Natural History celebrated World Soil Day 2019 with hands-on activities, and a panel discussion by soil scientists and local farmers.

TreeHugger commemorated World Soil Day 2019 with a feature article explaining how soil is “the foundation of … of green building, the plants that make the materials … to minimize our upfront carbon emissions.”

Members of the public are urged to commemorate the day with efforts to reduce food waste, eat a diverse diet, compost, read labels on lawn and garden products, and perform soil tests.

More detailed information at:

http://www.fao.org/world-soil-day/about-wsd/en/

https://www.un.org/en/observances/world-soil-day

Happy World Soil Day!