 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
| World Soil Day falls on December 5th. |
| Bratislava, 05.12.2025 |
|
| “Healthy Soil for Healthy Cities” is the theme of this year’s World Soil Day (WSD), which falls on 5 December. World Soil Day was recommended by the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) in 2002. Led by the Kingdom of Thailand and in a global partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the organization took the first steps to create a global platform to raise awareness about soil.
At the initiative of the FAO, it was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2013. World Soil Day has been celebrated since 2014. A whole year has already been dedicated to soil - the UN and FAO declared 2015 the International Year of Soils.
The aim of the day is to draw attention to the importance of soil for climate protection and biodiversity, as well as to the threats posed to soil by intensive agricultural use, deforestation and massive construction.
Soil is the basis of all life on the planet. It regulates water management, supplies plants and animals with nutrients, captures carbon dioxide, filters water, and is itself a place of active life. More than 90 percent of food comes from soil. It is a source of raw materials without which humans could not exist, and at the same time it is a spatial resource for all productive and non-productive activities without which the development of human civilization would not be possible.
It can take up to 1,000 years for two to three centimeters of soil to be formed. Soil is the source of 15 of the 18 naturally occurring chemicals essential for plant life.
However, due to climate change and human activity, soil is being degraded, which is putting excessive pressure on water resources. Erosion disrupts the natural balance, reducing water infiltration and its availability to all forms of life. Erosion also reduces the content of vitamins and nutrients in food.
The regions most affected are Africa and Asia, with around two million square kilometres of land being degraded worldwide each year. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), 60 to 70 percent of Europe’s land is not in good condition, while 52 percent of the world’s arable land is considered degraded.
This is due to soil erosion caused by wind and water, compaction and soil acidification, or chemical contamination. Sustainable soil management practices such as minimum tillage, crop rotation, adding organic matter and growing cover crops improve the condition of the soil – reducing erosion and pollution and improving water infiltration and retention. They also preserve soil biodiversity, improve soil fertility and contribute to carbon sequestration, playing a key role in combating climate change. Soil is therefore as important to ecosystems as forests and oceans.
People almost always associate soil with the countryside and nature, but they rarely think about the importance of urban soil. Beneath asphalt, buildings and streets lies soil that, when permeable and vegetated, helps absorb rainwater, regulate temperature, store carbon and improve air quality.
But when sealed with concrete, it loses these functions, making cities more vulnerable to flooding, overheating and pollution. That is why this day calls on everyone, from politicians to citizens, to rethink urban spaces from the ground up and build greener, more resilient and healthier cities.odkaz na stránku |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Address : Euro-Brew Ltd., Hlboká 22, 917 01 Trnava, Slovakia
Tel. : +421 33 53 418 53, Fax : +421 33 53 418 52, E-mail : info@eurobrew.sk |
|
|
