Why Do We Celebrate World Soil Day? Theme, History and Significance

WORLD SOIL DAY 2022: A mixture of various minerals, organic compounds, and living organisms, soil forms the foundation of life on Earth. December 5 is celebrated annually as World Soil Day to highlight the importance of healthy soil and promote sustainable management of soil resources.

World Soil Day: History

In 2002, the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) proposed an international day to celebrate soil. The Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United States (FAO) supported the move and helped formally establish World Soil Day under the leadership of the Kingdom of Thailand within the framework of the Global Soil Partnership.

The FAO Conference endorsed the day in June 2013 and urged at the 68th United Nations General Assembly that World Soil Day be formally adopted. The same year in December, the UNGA designated December 5, 2014 as the first World Soil Day.

The date was chosen as it coincides with the official birthday of the King of Thailand, H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej. He had officially sanctioned the event. World Soil Day was first officially marked in memory of the monarch in 2016, the year he passed away after serving as the head of state for seven decades.

World Soil Day 2022: Theme

The theme for 2022 World Soil Day is ‘Soils: Where Food Begins’. It emphasises upon the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being. The theme aims to highlight the growing changes in soil management, increase soil awareness, and inspire efforts and people to improve soil health.

World Soil Day: Significance

According to the FAO, just a soil tablespoon of soil can contain more living organisms that people on Earth. Plants depend on soil to draw water and nutrients while it provides 95% of the food that we consume. Despite being this essential, 33% of soil is degraded. The degradation occurs when soil loses its nutrients due to multiple reasons including bad management.

This impacts the plants that are grown in the degraded soil and in turn affects the food we eat. It had been observed that level of vitamins and nutrients in food had declined drastically over the last 70 years. World Soil Day is geared towards raising awareness on how crucial it is to maintain healthy soil.

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