World Soil Day

World Soil Day 2025, celebration of World Soil Day at school . Bandar-e Mahshahr (Iran), 29/12/2025 - 29/12/2025. Installing a banner with the participation of the school student of the Shaheed Khezraei School. Register to participate!

Hear from #GSP partners as they share efforts, expertise and innovative ideas on soil conservation, restoration & sustainable management. Register now ! GSP Plenary Assembly Twelfth Session - Soil Partners'day WEBCAST VACS | WEBCAST LDD THAILAND | WEBCAST ETHIOPIA ROOM AM | WEBCAST ETHIOPIA ROOM PM The Soil Partners' Day is a unique opportunity for all GSP Members and partners to share their efforts, expertise, experiences and innovative ideas related to the conservation, restoration, and protection of soil and its sustainable management. 3 June The Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS) – The US, Department of State, Office of Global Food Security Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS) The journey to success: from dirt to living soil - LDD Thailand . The journey of the ​ Global Soil Partnership ​- Lifeng Li​ Director, Land and Water Division, FAO​ 4 June Soil Health monitoring MRV Systems related to Soil Health, in the context of Agroecology - Internat...

  Ahead of World Soil Day , marked on December 5th , the  FAO launched its first ever report on " The State of Knowledge of Soil Biodiversity ". The report examines the potential of soil organisms in ensuring sustainable agri-food systems and mitigating climate change. "Soil biodiversity and sustainable soil management is a prerequisite for the achievement of many of the Sustainable Development Goals " , said FAO Deputy Director-General Maria Helena Semedo. "Therefore, data and information on soil biodiversity, from the national to the global level, are necessary in order to efficiently plan management strategies on a subject that is still poorly known", she added. Biodiversity below According to the report, despite the fact biodiversity loss is at the forefront of global concerns, biodiversity below ground is not being given the prominence it deserves and needs to be fully considered when planning how best to boost sustainable development. "We ho...

  The types of ecosystem services and the  soil functions  referred to in the definition can be elaborated as follows:  • Supporting services include primary production, nutrient cycling and soil formation;  • Provisioning services comprise the supply of food, fibre, fuel, timber and water; raw earth material; surface stability; habitat and genetic resources;  • Regulating services imply the regulation of aspects such as water supply and quality, carbon sequestration, climate regulation, control of floods and erosion; and  • Cultural services denote the aesthetic and cultural benefits derived from soil use.  Sustainable Soil Management  is associated with the following characteristics: 1. Minimal rates of soil erosion by water and wind; 2. The soil structure is not degraded (e.g. soil compaction) and provides a stable physical context for movement of air, water, and heat, as well as root growth; 3. Sufficient surface cover (e.g. from growing ...

  Soils have diverse chemical, physical and biological properties. As a consequence, they differ in their responses to management practices, their inherent ability to deliver ecosystem services, as well as their resilience to disturbance and vulnerability to degradation. The Status of the World’s Soil Resources report identified ten key threats that hamper the achievement of SSM. These threats are: soil erosion by water and wind, soil organic carbon loss, soil nutrient imbalance, soil salinization, soil contamination, acidification, loss of soil biodiversity, soil sealing, soil compaction and waterlogging . These different threats vary in terms of intensity and trend depending on geographical contexts, though they all need to be addressed in order to achieve sustainable soil management. SSM shall contribute to addressing global challenges, and meeting international commitments, including:  • the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development , where SSM could directly or indirectly c...

  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...

  Soil biological diversity reflects the variability among living organisms including a myriad of organisms not visible to the naked eye, such as microorganisms (e.g., bacteria, fungi, protozoa) and meso-fauna (e.g., nematodes, acari and springtails), as well as the more familiar macro-fauna (e.g. earthworms, ants and termites). The most recommended methods for soil biodiversity include the counting and identification of macro and mesoorganisms by a trained person, following extractions in the laboratory (e.g., Berlese funnel, Baermann funnel or pitfall traps in the field). A regular genomic analysis biodiversity to be assessed more accurately at the microbial level. It is recommended to associate at least one of these methods with the respiration rate mentioned in the recommended indicators in order to better interpret the values obtained.