World Soil Day
World Soil Day (WSD) is held annually on 5 December as a means to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and to advocate for the sustainable management of soil resources.
World Soil Day website includes
📌 Poster and book contest for children
📌 Videos
📌Hands on activities for children
World Soil Day 2023 Key Messages:
📌 Soil and water provide the foundation for food production, ecosystems, and human well-being. Recognizing their invaluable roles, we can take proactive measures to safeguard these resources for future generations;
📌 Soil and water are the medium in which plants grow and obtain essential nutrients;
📌 Rainfed agriculture systems account for 80 percent of croplands, contributing to 60 percent of the global food production. These systems rely heavily on effective soil moisture management practices.
📌Irrigated agriculture systems withdraw 70% of the world's freshwater and account for 20 percent of croplands.
📌 The health of the soil and the quality and availability of water are interconnected;
📌 Healthy soils, enriched with organic matter, play a crucial role in regulating water retention and availability;
📌 Improved soil and water management improves the land's capacity to withstand extreme climate events such as droughts, floods and sand/dust storms;
📌 Healthy soils act as a carbon sink, by sequestering carbon from the atmosphere, thus contributing to both climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts.