The Earth beneath our feet

'KEEP SOIL ALIVE, PROTECT SOIL DIVERSITY' THIS WORLD SOIL DAY (5TH DECEMBER 2020) AND BEYOND...

Soil has been described as 'The skin of the earth'. It's the mixture of minerals, organic matter, gases, liquids and countless organisms that together support plant life and the theme of this World Soil Day 2020, a campaign run by the Food and Agriculture Organisation is 'Keep soil alive, protect soil biodiversity'. By encouraging people around the world to engage in proactively improving soil health, the campaign aims to fight soil biodiversity loss.

There are many signs of soil degradation from erosion to loss of organic matter, to decline in soil fertility. This can be caused by many factors excessive flooding, wind, intensive farming and effects of toxic chemicals and pollutants.Controlling soil pollution is critical as micro-organisms working continuously for preserving our ecosystem perish and bad soil management affects life below the ground. Soil organisms take part in many critical ecosystem processes, on which humans depend. These include supporting plant growth, water purification and storing carbon.

Why we must care about soil:-

- Soil is a living resource and home to more than 25% the planet's plant life yet we are only still aware of 1%.

- 95% of our food comes from the soil.

- Quality and quantity of fruits, vegetables and food grains depend on the health of the soil.

- Soil organisms are constantly at work to sustain life on Earth.

- Quality of soil helps fight climate change and global warming.

What we can do to stop soil pollution:-

- Avoid single-use plastic.

- Choose eco-friendly, gardening, cleaning and personal care products.

- Dispose of hazardous waste like batteries responsibly.

- Compost your food waste.

- Adopt a plant-based diet.

You can watch find out more below:-