World Soil Day 2016 message from Yap CRE
By: Dr. Murukesan Krishnapillai
Colonia, Yap (December 5, 2016) - One annual celebration you might be forgiven for not participating in (or even knowing about) is World Soil Day. Yes, soil—that sticky brown stuff that gets walked all over your shoes or carpets. Sadly, it is our ignorance about the importance of soil and the degree to which we take advantage of all that it offers that have led to a drastic reduction in its quality the world over. These are precisely the problems World Soil Day aims to battle, as few things could be more important to us, the inhabitants of planet Earth, who could never hope to survive without the land. Soil is one without a doubt of the most significant parts of the ecosystem, contributing to our food, water and energy and playing an important part in reducing the impact of climate change. For all these reasons, it’s high time that World Soil Day became known to more people than just scientists concerned about the welfare of our planet.
December 5th has been designated as “World Soil Day” by the International Union of Soil Sciences, the FAO and the UN General Assembly. World Soil Day serves as a celebration of “the importance of soil as a critical component of the natural system and as a vital contributor to human well-being.”
Soils have been neglected for too long. We fail to connect soil with our food, water, climate, biodiversity and life. We must reverse this tendency and take up restorative actions. The theme of World Soil Day 2016 is ‘Soils and pulses, a symbiosis for life.’ The Year 2016 is also being celebrated as the ‘International Year of Pulses.’
Soil and land resources underpin and support our efforts towards sustainable development. They are key components for the fight against poverty, food insecurity and climate change. Soil and land degradation poses a great challenge for sustainable development.
Improving the health of a nation's soil is one of the most important endeavors of our time. By educating the public about the positive impact healthy soils can have on productivity and conservation, we can help our farmers feed the population more profitably and sustainably now and for future generations.
Today, we urge you to step outside and work in your garden or backyard, go to a taro patch or simply go for a walk... dig in and see, dig in and smell, dig in and feel! See, feel and smell the difference of healthy soil. Dig a little, learn a lot! See if, OMG! (Organic Matter Gone)!
World Soil Day is a great opportunity for us to reinforce soil health messages, while helping to promote World Soil Day.
Talk to your students, talk to your colleagues, talk to your friends and families, talk to your neighbors. Spread this message.
Happy World Soil Day!
