Soils are dynamic and diverse natural systems that lie at the interface between earth, air, water, and life. They are critical ecosystem service providers for the sustenance of humanity. The improved conservation and management of soils is among the great challenges and opportunities we face in the 21st century. Soil is our life support system. Soils anchor roots, hold water and store nutrients. Soils are home to earthworms, termites and a myriad of micro-organisms that fix nitrogen and decompose organic matter. Soil plays a vital role in the Earth’s ecosystem and without soil, human life would be very difficult. Soil provides plants a foothold for their roots and holds the necessary nutrients for plants to grow. Soil filters the rainwater and regulates the discharge of excess rainwater, preventing flooding. It also protecting groundwater quality.
Soil is capable of storing large amounts of organic carbon. On average, the soil contains about three times more organic carbon than the vegetation and about twice as much carbon than is present in the atmosphere. This is of particular importance in efforts to mitigate climate change. Rocks and minerals come to mind as the basis of soil material, however the soil also hosts a great deal of living organisms. The biodiversity of visible and microscopic life which uses the soil as their home is vast. The soil is one of the planet’s great reservoirs of undiscovered microorganisms and therefore genetic material which can become the basis of other scientific research such as developing new medicines. Soil is also an archive. It presents a record of past environmental conditions by storing natural artifacts from past ecosystems like pollen. Many artifacts from human history are also stored underground, which archeologists carefully uncover and use to understand how civilizations have evolved.
Aalaa Daaghlaar (Colored mountains), Maahneshaan, Zanjan, Iran
Soil erosion occurs naturally under all climatic conditions and on all continents, but is significantly increased and accelerated by unsustainable human activities (up to 1000 times) through intensive agriculture, deforestation, overgrazing and improper land use changes. The Status of the World’s Soil Resources report identified soil erosion as one of the major soil threats. Soil erosion rates are much higher than soil formation rates; soil is a finite resource, meaning its loss and degradation is not recoverable within a human lifespan. Soil erosion decreases agricultural productivity, degrades ecosystem functions, amplifies hydrogeological risk such as landslides or floods, causes significant losses in biodiversity, damage to urban infrastructure and, in severe cases, leads to displacement of human populations. Soil erosion and land degradation pose a major threat to global food security and to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals on ensuring the well-being of at least 3.2 billion people around the world.
Of the Earth’s soils, 33% are already degraded. Worse, most future land degradation is predicted to occur in the areas with the largest amount of arable land remaining. If current trends continue, experts estimate that by 2050, more than 90% of the Earth’s land areas will be substantially degraded, 4 billion people will live in drylands, 50–700 million people will be forced to migrate, and global crop yields will be reduced by an average of 10% and up to 50% in some regions. A total of 75 billion tons of fertile soil is removed every year from the global Soils cape by erosion. As a result, precious soil resources, which should be preserved for future generations, are continuously reduced. Every year approximately 12 million ha of land are lost. Sustainable soil management is an integral part of sustainable land management, as well as a basis for addressing poverty eradication, agricultural and rural development, promoting food security and improving nutrition. Sustainable soil management is a valuable tool for climate change adaptation and a pathway for safeguarding key ecosystem services and biodiversity.
Due to the incalculable value soils provide to society through ecosystem services, widespread adoption of sustainable soil management practices generates multiple socioeconomic benefits, especially for smallholder farmers and large-scale agricultural producers worldwide whose livelihoods directly depend on their soil resources .The Status of the World’s Soil Resources report identified ten key threats that hamper the achievement of sustainable soil management. These threats are soil erosion by water and wind, soil organic carbon loss, soil nutrient imbalance, soil salinity, soil contamination, acidification, loss of soil biodiversity, soil sealing, soil compaction and waterlogging. These threats vary in terms of intensity and trend depending on geographical context, although they all need to be addressed in order to achieve sustainable soil management.
World Soil Day commemoration ceremony in Zanjan, Iran
World Soil Day 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. The Day raises awareness on the role of soil management in ensuring soil biodiversity and improving soil health, reducing erosion and pollution, enhancing water filtration and storage, achieving sustainable and resilient agrifood systems, and contributing to carbon sequestration. This theme for this year is "Caring for Soils: Measure, Monitor, Manage," which underscores the importance of accurate soil data and information in understanding soil characteristics and supporting informed decision making on sustainable soil.
World Soil Day commemoration ceremony was held in Jihad Agriculture Organization of Zanjan Province of Iran on 28 November 2024. In this ceremony, it is done to take care of the soil and about promotion and cultural measures among children, farmers and all people to show the importance of preserving and caring for the soil and ways of talking about it.
World Soil Day commemoration ceremony in Zanjan, Iran
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This article was redacted and contributed by Mr. Akbar Karimi, the international reporter for Arirang Culture Connect.
Translated by: Mr. Behnam Salvand.
This text has been prepared and presented at the suggestion of the Agricultural Jihad Organization of Zanjan Province.
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