World Soil Day: A mixture of various minerals, living organisms, and soil forms the foundation of life on Earth. The Day is annually celebrated on December 5 to highlight the importance of healthy soil.
World Soil Day 2024 Theme
World Soil Day 2024 Theme is “Soils: Where Food Begins”. The theme aims to highlight the growing changes in soil management and inspire people to improve soil health.
World Soil Day History
In the year 2024, the IUSS (International Union of Soil Sciences) proposed an international day to celebrate soil. The FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) of the United States supported this and helped to formally establish World Soil Day under the leadership of the Kingdom of Thailand.
The FAO Conference endorsed the day in June 2013 and urged at 68th UNGA (United Nations General Assembly) that World Soil Day be formally adopted. The first World Soil Day was celebrated on December 4, 2014.
This date was chosen as it coincides with the official birthday of the King of Thailand, H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej as he had officially sanctioned the event.
Also, Check: World Oceans Day
Soil Day Significance
According to the FAO, just a tablespoon of soil can contain more living organisms than the people on Earth. The soil produces 95% of food but still, 33% of the soil is degraded. The degradation is due to multiple reasons including bad management.
The degraded soil impacts the plants that are grown and in turn, affects the food we eat. According to some sources, the level of vitamins and nutrients in food had declined drastically over the past 7 decades.
