World Soil Day 2021

Restore soils, restore ecosystems!

Among the most significant problems for global agricultural production, food security, and sustainability (especially in arid and semi-arid regions), soil salinisation and sodification are the focus of World Soil Day 2021.
 
World Soil Day 2021 (#WorldSoilDay) and its campaign “Halt soil salinization, boost soil productivity” 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 salinisation, increasing soil awareness, and encouraging societies to improve soil health.             

"Soil is the foundation of agriculture and the world’s farmers depend on soil to produce about 95% of the food we eat."

UN FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu

From forest to farmland, soil health is integral to life here in Australia and across the globe.

Healthy soils support:

  • food production
  • carbon storage
  • clean water
  • climate resilience
  • fibre production
  • biodiversity

Threats to soil health include:

  • acidification, salinisation, and sodification
  • urban and industrial encroachment
  • erosion
  • contamination
  • climate change

Soil salinisation can be managed through:

  • reducing erosion
  • improving drainage
  • avoiding over-watering/irrigation
  • increasing plant cover

We can help restore soil health by:

  • raising awareness and funds for organisations promoting sustainable soil management practices, through:
    •  donations, membership subscriptions, and course enrollments
    •  social media, word-of-mouth, conversations, and volunteering efforts
  • supporting and pursuing professional education, training, and accreditation in soil science
  • promoting links between soil scientists, researchers, farmers, and policy makers
  • advocating for local, regional, and national governments to adopt an integrated approach to soil management
  • addressing climate change
 
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The Restoration Decade Alliance and all member organisations operate across the unceded lands and waters of numerous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nations. We recognise the inherent value and invaluable knowledge of these peoples and their Ancestors and Elders – past and present – and their enduring connections to Country. These are the oldest continuous cultures in the world, having persisted despite violent invasion and ongoing colonisation. We aspire to adequately honour and support decolonisation through genuine Indigenous and non-Indigenous partnership, Indigenous empowerment and agency, the promotion of traditional ecological knowledge, and advocacy for improved relationships between nature and culture as a cornerstone of ecological restoration. 
Ecosystem restoration and social justice go hand-in-hand. 

 

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