World Soil Day 2023: Healthy Soils for a Sustainable World

World Soil Day or World Soils Day is celebrated every year on 5^th December which aims to raise awareness on the importance of soil quality for human well-being and ecosystem health. It was designated by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 2002. World Soil Day 2023 also marks the 20th celebration of soils around the planet. The 2023 theme is “Soils: Where food begins”.

When is World Soil Day and How to Celebrate

When is World Soil Day celebrated? It is held every year on December 5th to coincide with the official birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, who officially sanctioned the Food and Agriculture Organization’s World Soil Charter in 1960.

You don’t need to be an expert to celebrate World Soil Day! Try getting outside in the garden or park, digging in and getting dirty while appreciating soils beneath your feet. Schools and community groups often hold soil education events and art competitions. The FAO also releases an official World Soil Day poster to raise visibility. World Soil Health Day on August 7th offers another opportunity to celebrate soils.

Why Celebrate Soil?

Do we really need an international observance to care about soil? Absolutely! The Earth’s thin skin of soil forms a miraculous living ecosystem and the foundation for terrestrial life. Yet soils remain an often invisible natural resource to the general public and policy makers. World Soil Day offers a valuable chance to shed much needed light on this valuable natural capital.

What is Soil?

Soil consists of weathered rock particles, organic matter, water and air supporting a stunning diversity of belowground life. As the famous quote goes: “we know more about the movement of celestial bodies than about the soil underfoot”. Scientists have identified over 25 types of soil organisms critical to sustaining plant and animal communities on land through functions like nutrient cycling, pest control and water regulation.

Soil Services Essential to Life on Land

Soils carry out functions essential to most land-based life on Earth. Here are three examples of soil ecosystem services:

Food and Biomass Production

Soils provide vital nutrients, structure, oxygen, moisture and support organisms to facilitate plant growth. Even aquatic ecosystems ultimately depend on runoff from mineral and nutrient rich soils. Plants harness solar energy to produce carbohydrates & oxygen through photosynthesis – energy that powers every food chain. Without healthy soil ecosystems, the Earth could not sustain natural ecosystems and productive agricultural systems underlying human civilization.

Water Storage and Regulation

The tiny spaces between soil particles and cracks can store tremendous amounts of water -even more than landscapes covered in lakes and rivers. Soils act as natural filtration systems and reservoirs; absorbing rainfall and snowmelt, storing moisture for plants, and replenishing aquifers. Several studies show that just a 5% increase in soil organic matter enables soils to store up to 75,000 gallons more water per acre. Soils regulate natural water flows to prevent flooding and filter impurities as water seeps into groundwater.

Climate Regulation through Carbon Storage

Soil organisms and decaying plant matter transform dead material into rich, stable organic matter called humus. This carbon-rich material helps soil retain nutrients and moisture. Globally, soils hold over 2,500 gigatons of carbon -4 times the amount stored in living plants and trees. Boosting soil health and soil carbon sequestration across landscapes presents an invaluable nature-based climate solution. Cover crops, compost, conservation tillage, erosion control and agricultural buffers help lock carbon into the soil.

Threats: Soil Degradation & Loss

Despite their importance, poor land management means soils are increasingly being damaged and lost faster than they replenish. Organic matter depletion, erosion, contamination, sealing and biodiversity decline represent five central soil threats:

Soil Erosion

Erosion wears away the precious topsoil formed by centuries of plant growth and decay. On bare or degraded soil, erosion by wind and rainfall can remove soil 10-40 times faster than formation rates. Experts estimate global annual soil loss from erosion at 20-80 billion metric tons. There may be as little as 60 harvests remaining before we exhaust our global supply of topsoil.

Soil Sealing

The covering of soil surfaces with concrete, asphalt or other impervious materials severely restricts soil functionality. Urban areas and infrastructure networks seal over large land areas; often with more than two-thirds impervious cover. Sealing limits organic matter decomposition, nutrient cycling, water infiltration and gas exchange.

Solutions: Appreciate, Conserve and Regenerate Soil!

This World Soil Day 2023, take a moment to appreciate the invaluable soil beneath your feet. Small daily actions like reducing food waste and mindful consumption choices help ease the burden. Farmers, foresters and gardeners continue leading the way restoring their land back to health.

Support soil education, research and policy reform in your community. Simple soil conservation practices also offer accessible starting points to get involved, like planting cover crops, slowing erosion with barriers and rebuilding organic matter through compost.

Building healthy soils and managing landscapes sustainably represents a hopeful path towards productive landscapes, climate change resilience and long-term prosperity.