4 December 2015: The Global Soil Partnership (GSP) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) marked the second World Soil Day on 4 December 2015, which also coincided with the official conclusion of the 2015 International Year of Soils (IYS 2015). The celebrations saw the launch of ‘Status of the World’s Soil Resources,’ the first-ever global assessment of soils and soil change produced by the FAO’s Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS), and based on the work of 200 soil scientists from 60 countries.

In his World Soil Day message, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for greater efforts to promote sustainable soil management rooted in proper soil governance and sound investments, and noted that sustainable soil management is fundamental to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), “many of which reflect the centrality of soils to sustain life, food and water.”

Estimating that about 33% of global soils are already degraded, the 650-page ITPS report focuses on the 10 main threats to soil functions, namely soil erosion, soil organic carbon loss, nutrient imbalance, soil acidification, soil contamination, waterlogging, soil compaction, soil sealing, salinization and loss of soil biodiversity. Presenting the report, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva, said it offers evidence that the further loss of soil resources and functions can be avoided, which would help prevent damage to food production and food security, increased food-price volatility and hunger and poverty.

The report identifies four priorities for action: minimizing further degradation of soils and restoring the productivity of soils that are already degraded in regions where people are most vulnerable; stabilizing global stores of soil organic matter, including both soil organic carbon and soil organisms; stabilizing or reducing global use of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer, while increasing fertilizer use in regions of nutrient deficiency; and, improving our knowledge about the state and trend of soil conditions.

The report further calls for such actions to be supported by targeted policies, including: supporting the development of soil information systems to monitor and forecast soil change; integrating soil awareness programmes into formal education and across curriculum; investing in research development and extension to develop, test and disseminate sustainable soil management technologies and practices; introducing appropriate and effective regulation and incentives; and supporting the achievement of local, regional and international food security.

In other World Soil Day events, the FAO in collaboration with the Czeslaw Siekierski, Chair of the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee of the EU Parliament, launched ‘Soil Week’ at the European Parliament. The series of awareness-raising events will include an art installation “with real soil and real fruits and vegetables, teaching the importance of soils in our daily life.” [FAO Press Release] [UN Press Release] [Publication: State of the World’s Soil Resources] [IYS Webpage] [UN Regional Information Centre (UNRIC) for Western Europe Press Release] [IISD RS Stories on IYS 2015]