International Year of Soil

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The International Year of Soils, 2015 (IYS 2015) was declared by the Sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly on December 20, 2013, after recognizing December 5 as World Soil Day. [1] [2]

Contents

The purpose of the IYS was to raise awareness worldwide of the importance of soils for food security, [3] agriculture, [4] as well as in mitigation of climate change, poverty alleviation, and sustainable development. [5]

World Soil Day

The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) and the American Society of Agronomy (ASA) have invited the public to continue to celebrate World Soil Day on December 5 on an ongoing basis. [6]

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has implemented the hashtag, #WorldSoilDay, and a campaign "Stop soil erosion, Save our future," [7] with suggestions for activities by students, farmers, teachers, NGOs and private sector organizations. [8]

A map of International World Soil Day events is available online, as well as a list of yearly World Soil Day campaigns, a poster with World Soil Day Activities from the FAO, educational materials, and a downloadable coloring book for children.

The University of Michigan Museum of Natural History celebrated World Soil Day 2019 with hands-on activities, and a panel discussion by soil scientists and local farmers. [9]

TreeHugger commemorated World Soil Day 2019 with a feature article explaining how soil is "the foundation of ... of green building, the plants that make the materials ... to minimize our upfront carbon emissions." [10] Members of the public are urged to commemorate the day with efforts to reduce food waste, eat a diverse diet, compost, read labels on lawn and garden products, and perform soil tests. [6]

International Year of Soils, 2015

The Global Soil Partnership planned a website, logo and activities for The International Year of Soil, and agricultural and environmental organizations around the world held local events to contribute to the special year. [11] [12] [13]

The United States Department of Agriculture held a kick-off event. [14] Its National Resources Conservation Service commemorated the event with monthly themes. [15]

OpenLearn Open University featured its courses on soil. [16]

Kansas State University hosted an event in Manhattan, Kansas to celebrate the International Year of Soils, and kick off the 12th International Phytotechnologies Conference. [17]

Vivekananda College hosted a two-day Vivekananda Science Exhibition to Rural Masses (VISETORM-VIII) for rural schoolchildren. [18]

The 2015 Ethiopia Society of Soils Science (ESSS) Conference chose the theme of "International Year of Soils: Ethiopia Experience". Representatives from the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the Ethiopian Society of Soil Science celebrated World Soil Day at the end of conference. [19]

Other events included Sundays with Science lectures at the San Francisco Public Library and University of Nebraska State Museum, exhibits, events for teachers, and a Microbes Are Us Costume Parade by Hawaiian schoolchildren. [18]

The FAO website summarized what individuals could take home from the year as:

"On a closing note, just the other day a member of the IYS Steering Comittee[sic] told members that he recently found out that soils contain a bacterium called Mycobacterium vaccae, also known as the Golden Bacillus. Apparently, scientists have found that, when ingested or inhaled, this substance reduces anxiety and increases levels of serotonin in the brain, making you happier." [20]

Official closure of the 2015 International Year of Soils (IYS) took place at FAO Headquarters on December 4, 2015. [21]

International Decade of Soils, 2015–2024

The International Union of Soil Scientists has proclaimed 2015–2024 the International Decade of Soils. This is a continuation of the efforts made during the International Year of the Soils 2015. [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, fisheries, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to live in cities. While humans started gathering grains at least 105,000 years ago, nascent farmers only began planting them around 11,500 years ago. Sheep, goats, pigs, and cattle were domesticated around 10,000 years ago. Plants were independently cultivated in at least 11 regions of the world. In the 20th century, industrial agriculture based on large-scale monocultures came to dominate agricultural output.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Food and Agriculture Organization</span> Specialised agency of the United Nations

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. Its Latin motto, fiat panis, translates to "let there be bread". It was founded on 16 October 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sustainable agriculture</span> Farming approach that balances environmental, economic and social factors in the long term

Sustainable agriculture is farming in sustainable ways meeting society's present food and textile needs, without compromising the ability for current or future generations to meet their needs. It can be based on an understanding of ecosystem services. There are many methods to increase the sustainability of agriculture. When developing agriculture within sustainable food systems, it is important to develop flexible business processes and farming practices. Agriculture has an enormous environmental footprint, playing a significant role in causing climate change, water scarcity, water pollution, land degradation, deforestation and other processes; it is simultaneously causing environmental changes and being impacted by these changes. Sustainable agriculture consists of environment friendly methods of farming that allow the production of crops or livestock without causing damage to human or natural systems. It involves preventing adverse effects on soil, water, biodiversity, and surrounding or downstream resources, as well as to those working or living on the farm or in neighboring areas. Elements of sustainable agriculture can include permaculture, agroforestry, mixed farming, multiple cropping, and crop rotation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Food security</span> Measure of the availability and accessibility of food

Food security is the state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. The availability of food for people of any class, gender or religion is another element of food security. Similarly, household food security is considered to exist when all the members of a family, at all times, have access to enough food for an active, healthy life. Individuals who are food-secure do not live in hunger or fear of starvation. Food security includes resilience to future disruptions of food supply. Such a disruption could occur due to various risk factors such as droughts and floods, shipping disruptions, fuel shortages, economic instability, and wars. Food insecurity is the opposite of food security: a state where there is only limited or uncertain availability of suitable food.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental degradation</span> Any change or disturbance to the environment perceived to be deleterious or undesirable

Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as quality of air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; and pollution. It is defined as any change or disturbance to the environment perceived to be deleterious or undesirable. The environmental degradation process amplifies the impact of environmental issues which leave lasting impacts on the environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Plant Protection Convention</span> International treaty on pests & diseases

The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) is a 1951 multilateral treaty overseen by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization that aims to secure coordinated, effective action to prevent and to control the introduction and spread of pests of plants and plant products. The Convention extends beyond the protection of cultivated plants to the protection of natural flora and plant products. It also takes into consideration both direct and indirect damage by pests, so it includes weeds. IPPC promulgates International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Food Day</span> International day of food security

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soil Science Society of America</span> American scientific organization

The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), is the largest soil-specific society in the United States. It was formed in 1936 from the merger of the Soils Section of the American Society of Agronomy and the American Soil Survey Association. The Soils Section of ASA became the official Americas section of the International Union of Soil Sciences in 1934, a notable role which SSSA continues to fulfill.

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References

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