World Soil Day (WSD) is December 5th by Vicky Spelman

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

World Soil Day (WSD) is December 5th, and its campaign is: "Keep soil alive, Protect soil biodiversity".

It’s an international date we use to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil - and to advocate for sustainable management of our soil resources.  

So why have international days? “International days are occasions to educate the general public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity”. – United Nations

This year, by addressing the increasing challenges of soil management, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) wants to raise awareness of the importance of sustaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being. To encourage people around the world to be proactive in improving soil health.  

Plants nurture a whole world of creatures in the soil, that in return feed and protect the plants. This diverse community of living organisms keeps the soil healthy and fertile. This vast world constitutes soil biodiversity and determines the main biogeochemical processes that make life possible on Earth.

What can you do?  Become informed on techniques for improved soil conservation that include crop rotation, cover crops, conservation tillage and planted windbreaks that affect both erosion and fertility. 

You can make a difference by:

Reducing food waste (all the food that ends up in our shopping carts requires land, water, nutrients, and energy to produce - by careful buying and consuming to throw away less, we will prevent valuable nutrients from ending up in a landfill)

Eat a diverse diet (by eating different types of foods, we can help create demand for a wide variety of agricultural products, which is better for the soil)

Compost (instead of throwing unused food in the garbage, consider investing in a compost system)

Read labels on lawn and garden products (no matter which product we end up selecting, the most important step before applying is to thoroughly read the label and all instructions) 

Perform soil tests (if we are looking to fertilize our lawn or garden, we need to know what nutrients are already in the soil before applying more)

Sources and additional reading:  

World Soil Day, United Nations, Make a difference