Keep Soil Alive, Protect Soil Biodiversity

5 December is World Soil Day. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s theme for this year’s campaign is: “Keep soil alive, protect soil biodiversity”.

CAP’s own environmentally sustainable urban vegetable farm adopts practices that encourage soil fertility and biodiversity. Our farm also uses natural processes to handle pest populations, which eliminates potentially toxic interventions. All these practices are in keeping with the current World Soil Day philosophy.

We are in solidarity with governments, non-profit groups, scientists and like-minded people/groups everywhere in observing World Soil Day today, and in helping local communities to understand the causes of soil erosion, soil pollution and how we can encourage soil conservation.

Why Care for Soil? 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. Soil organisms are constantly at work to sustain life on Earth. Soil also helps fight climate change and global warming.

DID YOU KNOW

> Soil is a living resource, home to more than 25% of our planet’s biodiversity.
> It is estimated that only 1% of soil microorganism species are currently known compared to 80% of plant species.
> Up to 90% of living organisms live or spend part of their lifecycle in soils.
> Soil organisms can break down certain contaminants.

Our food security depends on healthy soil. 95% of our food comes from the soil. The quality and quantity of fruits, vegetables and food grains that we eat daily depend on the health of the soil.

“(The) FAO campaign ‘Keep soil alive, protect soil biodiversity’ aims to raise awareness of the importance of sustaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being. By encouraging people around the world to engage in proactively improving soil health, the campaign also aims to fight soil biodiversity loss. If we do not act soon, the fertility of soil will continue to be adversely affected at an alarming rate, threatening global food supplies and food safety.” ~ Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)