ALMD - WSD

BACKGROUND

World Soil Day (WSD) is held annually on 5 December as a means to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and to advocate for the sustainable management of soil resources.

Soil is a finite natural resource and on a human time-scale it is non-renewable. However, despite the essential role that soil plays for human livelihoods, worldwide there is increasing degradation of soil resources. Recognizing the importance of soils, the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS), in 2002, made a resolution proposing the 5th of December as World Soil Day. This day is aimed to celebrate the importance of soil as a critical component of the natural system and as a vital contributor to the human wellbeing.

Under the leadership of the kingdom of Thailand and within the framework of the "Global Soil Partnership", FAO has supported the formal establishment of a global awareness raising platform such as the World Soil Day. The FAO Conference in June 2013 unanimously endorsed World Soil Day and requested the 68th UNGA to have it officially adopted.

WORLD SOIL DAY 2020

The campaign for World Soil Day 2020 is "Keep soil alive, Protect soil biodiversity". The campaign aims to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being by addressing the growing challenges in soil management, fighting soil biodiversity loss, increasing soil awareness and encouraging governments, organizations, communities and individuals around the world to commit to proactively improving soil health.

Keep Soil Alive:
Protect Soil Biodiversity

WORLD SOIL DAY 2019

The Global Soil Partnership dedicated WSD 2019 to the theme "Stop soil erosion, Save our future". It was celebrated in more than 100 countries through 560 events (see WSD 2019 interactive map and official celebrations). A massive amount of articles in major newspapers reached 650 million people. The involvement of high-profile people and household names brought 400 million interactions on social media.

SOIL
An Essential Natural Resource

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