This day is celebrated on December 5 to sensitize the planet to the importance of healthy soils and to fight for sustainable use of resources, United Nations (UN) spokesmen say.
With the date they want to awaken an interest in the care and use of this resource in agriculture and in general handling in the world population.
The International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) recommended an international day to honor soil in 2002, Thailand later reiterated the suggestion and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) supported setting up the event.
In December 2013, the proposal was accepted by the UN General Assembly, and 2014 was the first year of celebrations.
The motto of the campaign for 2021 was Soils, origin of food (current). It deals with the importance of soil for healthy and optimal nutrition.
And the fact is that in the last 70 years, the content of nutrients and vitamins in food has been significantly reduced. Much of the population suffers from micronutrient deficiencies known as hidden hunger, a health concern that is difficult to identify.
One of the issues raised is salinity in the driest or semi-arid regions.
This problem poses many difficulties for agriculture, food security and biodiversity since salt is naturally present in land and water and soils can support a healthy and rich ecosystem from it.
The motto for 2020 was “Keep the ground alive, protect ground biodiversity” and for 2019 it was “Stop ground erosion, save our future”.
These phrases reference the United Nations #ZeroHunger campaign, which also happens to be one of the Sustainable Development Goals proposed in the 2030 Agenda.
Themes such as agriculture, grazing, rain, drought, erosion and weather are linked to the main theme of the day.
For example, some UN documents point to erosion as a threat as it limits production capacity. They explain that with less fertile soils, agricultural production can be reduced by up to 50 percent and harvests will be smaller and less nutritious for people.
Therefore, this day serves as a reflection and vigilance for the authorities in all countries and especially for the farmers as support for their work and their concerns.
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