World Soil Day; Food Begins Here
World Soil Day; Food Begins Here
World Soil Day is marked every 5th of December. World Soil Day celebrates the uniqueness of soil as a critical component of the natural system and a key contributor to humanity for its contribution to food, water and energy security and as a mitigator of biodiversity loss and climate change. It is celebrated particularly by the global community of thousands of soil scientists charged with responsibility of generating and communicating soil knowledge for the common good. The theme for the year is;
"Caring for the Planet starts from the Ground"
Soil is the upper layer of the outermost part of the earth, a mixture of organic and inorganic matter, in which plants grow.
It is a natural and non-renewable resource.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO):
Soil holds three times as much carbon as the atmosphere and can help us meet the challenges of a changing climate
Record has it that 815 million people are food insecure and 2 billion people are nutritionally insecure, but this can be mitigated through soil.
95% of our food comes from soil
33% of our global soils are already degraded
Nigeria is vastly blessed with arable lands. Imagine a State like Ogun with 80% of her fertile soil is more than the total land mass of Isreal, Cape Verde and Croatia combined. This is key to high demand of organic foods from Nigerian rural farmers in the global market
In spite of the gift of mother earth on this country, we've not be able to utilize the versatile benefits of this resource, and current carbon content of our soil. A gram of organic soil carbon can hold more than 7 grams of water.
WHY SOIL IS CRUCIAL
The nutritional value of the food we eat is directly linked to the profile of the soil in which plant grows; rural residents will always enjoy the luxury of clean food both as medicine and aesthetic regimen due to traditional use of soil, free from pesticide use
There are more microorganisms than the total number of human beings that have ever existed in a handful of fertile soil; the interaction between these living entities beneath the soil influence the richness of the soil
Natural processes can take more than 500 years to form 2 centimetres of topsoil. Living microbes are key to releasing the needed carbon sequestering
Management of agricultural soils play vital role structurally, biologically and mineral health of the soil (not just N, P, K) to produce nutritionally-dense food.
Carbon is a master variable within the soil that controls many processes, such as development of soil structure, water storage and nutrient cycling
Soil high in organic carbon content enables better rainfall infiltration & retention – providing greater resilience to drought.
Soil erosion within conventional agricultural practices can occur at rates up to 100 times greater than the rate of natural soil formation.
We can improve soil health via;
Increasing organic matter in soil through traditional practices like composting
Apply manuring or other natural soil enrichment
Biodiversity
Crop rotation and mixed farming
Ground cover and vegetation
Sources
Soils for Life
FAO
World Soil Day is marked every 5th of December. World Soil Day celebrates the uniqueness of soil as a critical component of the natural system and a key contributor to humanity for its contribution to food, water and energy security and as a mitigator of biodiversity loss and climate change. It is celebrated particularly by the global community of thousands of soil scientists charged with responsibility of generating and communicating soil knowledge for the common good. The theme for the year is;
"Caring for the Planet starts from the Ground"
Soil is the upper layer of the outermost part of the earth, a mixture of organic and inorganic matter, in which plants grow.
It is a natural and non-renewable resource.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO):
Soil holds three times as much carbon as the atmosphere and can help us meet the challenges of a changing climate
Record has it that 815 million people are food insecure and 2 billion people are nutritionally insecure, but this can be mitigated through soil.
95% of our food comes from soil
33% of our global soils are already degraded
Nigeria is vastly blessed with arable lands. Imagine a State like Ogun with 80% of her fertile soil is more than the total land mass of Isreal, Cape Verde and Croatia combined. This is key to high demand of organic foods from Nigerian rural farmers in the global market
In spite of the gift of mother earth on this country, we've not be able to utilize the versatile benefits of this resource, and current carbon content of our soil. A gram of organic soil carbon can hold more than 7 grams of water.
WHY SOIL IS CRUCIAL
The nutritional value of the food we eat is directly linked to the profile of the soil in which plant grows; rural residents will always enjoy the luxury of clean food both as medicine and aesthetic regimen due to traditional use of soil, free from pesticide use
There are more microorganisms than the total number of human beings that have ever existed in a handful of fertile soil; the interaction between these living entities beneath the soil influence the richness of the soil
Natural processes can take more than 500 years to form 2 centimetres of topsoil. Living microbes are key to releasing the needed carbon sequestering
Management of agricultural soils play vital role structurally, biologically and mineral health of the soil (not just N, P, K) to produce nutritionally-dense food.
Carbon is a master variable within the soil that controls many processes, such as development of soil structure, water storage and nutrient cycling
Soil high in organic carbon content enables better rainfall infiltration & retention – providing greater resilience to drought.
Soil erosion within conventional agricultural practices can occur at rates up to 100 times greater than the rate of natural soil formation.
We can improve soil health via;
Increasing organic matter in soil through traditional practices like composting
Apply manuring or other natural soil enrichment
Biodiversity
Crop rotation and mixed farming
Ground cover and vegetation
Sources
Soils for Life
FAO
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