It takes up to a thousand years for a centimeter of topsoil to form in some cases but a few seconds to destroy it. The fact that soil is not a renewable resource makes its preservation an even more urgent matter
World Soil Day, observed annually on December 5th, is a global initiative to raise awareness about the critical role soil plays in supporting life, ecosystems, and sustainable development. Caring for soil was the key theme from this year 2024. Every year the world loses billions of tonnes of topsoil posing a major threat to soil health. Erosion, salinization, pollution, compaction and the climate crisis threaten soils. As the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) notes, a single gram of soil can harbor millions of tiny invertebrates and thousands of different bacterial species.
Soil Health: a cornerstone of global sustainability
Soil is not just a medium for plant growth; it is essential for biodiversity, water filtration, and climate regulation. As the foundation for agriculture and a key component in the global ecosystem, soil health is crucial for food security, economic stability, and climate resilience. World Soil Day reminds us that healthy soils are vital to the future of the planet, directly influencing our ability to produce food, manage water resources, and protect biodiversity.
Addressing soil degradation in Asia
If you treat soil bad, soil will treat you bad.— Chinese proverb
Soil degradation, driven by erosion, pollution, and unsustainable farming practices, continues to threaten land productivity. In Asia roughly 20% of the total land area is estimated to have been affected by water erosion, 10% by wind erosion, 10% by chemical deterioration, and 4% by physical deterioration. Soil degradation is projected to increase by almost 50% by 2070. Salt-affected soils, or salinization, pose another significant challenge for plants to grow: up to a third of the world’s irrigated lands could be affected and essentially unproductive, most of these fields are found in Asia. The acidification creates significant damages, many farmers in Asia have noticed that their soils become more acidic, often because of too much use of certain fertilisers. Also, the physical structural properties get worse year after years making difficult to keep the water in the soil available for the cultivated crops.
Agriculture represents the main source of livelihood to more than 2.2 billion people in Asia, for a population that will number more than 5 billion by 2050. And yet, as recently as 2020, almost 2 billion people in the Asia Pacific are yet to have access to healthy diets, all according to the UN FAO.
The role of sustainable agriculture
To ensure long-term food security and environmental sustainability, the shift towards sustainable agricultural practices is paramount. Techniques such as crop rotation, agroforestry, minimal tillage, and the use of organic amendments help preserve soil structure, increase nutrient cycling, and reduce dependency on chemical inputs. World Soil Day advocates for the widespread adoption of these practices to maintain soil fertility and boost agricultural productivity without compromising the environment.
After the second World War, agricultural development launched many initiatives in Asia to increase productivity with a heavy reliance on mechanization and wide application of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, these practices contributed in a long term to soil degradation. However Asia is also a region booming with potential for solutions to heal the soil. In Vietnam for instance, good agricultural practices include minimal tillage, increased organic amendments to improve soil productivity and a more conservative application of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. These practices may significantly increase the amount of carbon stored in the soil.
Soil as a carbon sink
Research has found that Asian soils can sequester 180 megatonnes of carbon per year if sustainable high-carbon input soil management practices are adopted. Soils play an important role in mitigating climate change by acting as significant carbon sinks. They store carbon, which helps offset greenhouse gas emissions and combat global warming. Protecting and improving soil health can significantly enhance the carbon sequestration capacity of soils, contributing to climate change mitigation efforts. World Soil Day underscores the importance of recognizing and fostering this vital role of soils in reducing atmospheric carbon.
Soil education and awareness
Healthy soils, healthy Nation- India Proverb
One of the core messages of World Soil Day is the need to increase global awareness and education about the importance of soil. Knowledge about sustainable soil management, conservation methods, and the scientific study of soil is essential for fostering better land-use policies and practices. The event calls for greater investment in soil science and the integration of soil health into agricultural policy at the national and international levels. Increased use of organic amendments and reduced dependence on chemical inputs must all be scaled up rapidly. All land users, particularly farmers and smallholders, need training in sustainable soil and water management and that means inclusive access to technology transfer. Implementing sustainable soil management practices, for instance, bringing organic amendments into the soil at the moment of a new plantation is crucial for transforming the agri-food systems, making plant and soil more resilient to extreme climate events.
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