The soil is the base of life on earth. It is present everywhere but its significance is not always cherished.
The significance of soil lies in the fact that it is the beginning and end of life. Soil fertility determines the most important factor of human life – agriculture. Hence it is an essential component of nature.
In order to observe the significance of soil, International Union of Soil Sciences in 2002 proposed to celebrate December 5 as World’s Soil day. In 2013, the FAO conference unanimously requested General Assembly to observe Soil day consequently UN declared December 5th as World Soil Day.
It is observed since 2002 highlighting a theme and ‘Caring for the Planet starts from the Ground’ is the theme of 2017 Soil day’. FAO released some soil facts on this occasion:
- Soil holds three times as much carbon as the atmosphere and can help us meet the challenges of a changing climate
- 815 million people are food insecure and 2 billion people are nutritionally insecure, but we can mitigate this through the soil.
- 95% of our food comes from soil
- 33% of our global soils are already degraded
Human activities have created a severe strain on Soil. It is a continuous process with ever increasing magnitude. Severe pollution from industries and household garbage is a threat to the soil. Rich soil is a solution to almost all food problems of the world. Agriculture in rich soil is a key to end hunger in this world. Soil can be made rich without straining with chemicals. Organic farming by wise use of manures and wastes can revolutionize the food security scenario of the world. The soil is the source of life and it is the main element that sustains life. So it is necessary to uphold the vitality not only on the day but also on each and every day.
