World Soil Day

  This is the fourth version of the International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management that FAO’s governing bodies have approved since 1985. It provides a framework that guides government regulators, the private sector, civil society and other stakeholders on best practice in managing pesticides throughout their lifecycle. Its overall structure remains unchanged and covers every aspect of pesticide management from production to disposal. This version, approved by the 38th FAO Conference in June 2013, incorporates public health pesticides and vector control to broaden the scope of the Code of Conduct beyond agricultural pesticides. It gives greater attention to health and environmental aspects of pesticides, updates a number of definitions and terms and aligns guidance in several technical areas with developments in international chemicals management. The new Code comes at a time when greater attention is being focused on increasing food production while conserving and enhancing ...

  Soils provide one of the largest reservoirs of biodiversity on earth, and soil organisms play key roles in the delivery of many ecosystems services. Little is known about the degree of biodiversity required to maintain core soil functions, but new tools for biochemical techniques and DNA analysis suggest significant progress in this area is possible. • Monitoring programs for soil biodiversity, including biological indicators (e.g. community ecotoxicology) and in-situ early warning signals, should be undertaken; • Soil organic matter levels supporting soil biodiversity should be maintained or enhanced through the provision of sufficient vegetative cover (e.g. cover crops, multiple crops), optimal nutrient additions, addition of diverse organic amendments, minimizing soil disturbance, avoiding salinization, and maintaining or restoring vegetation such as hedgerows and shelterbelts; • The authorization and use of pesticides in agricultural systems should be based on the recommendat...