World Soil Day

  World Soil Day 2025, Meeting to prevent unauthorized construction on fertile lands in Varzagan County Varzeqan (Iran), 16/12/2025 - 16/12/2025. Meeting to prevent unauthorized construction on fertile lands in Varzagan County with the participation of department heads. Register!

world soil day 2025 , Soil Erosion Management Training Course. Chabahar (Iran), 30/12/2025 - 01/12/2025.  Training Course. Register to participate!

  Fortunately, solutions exist. Urban areas across Europe are testing innovative ways to limit or reverse soil sealing, enhance groundwater recharge, and build sustainable cities. We picked 5 of these solutions, that go hand in hand. Implement Green Infrastructure Green infrastructure, like parks, green roofs, and urban forests, can absorb rainfall effectively. For example, green roofs alone can retain 50-80% of rainfall, significantly reducing urban runoff. Use Permeable Pavements Switching from impermeable materials to permeable paving in parking areas, sidewalks, and residential streets allows rainwater to infiltrate directly into the ground. Permeable surfaces also reduce flooding and improve groundwater recharge rates. Rainwater Harvesting Systems Encouraging buildings to install rainwater harvesting systems reduces the demand for groundwater. This water can be reused for gardening, flushing toilets, and even cleaning, significantly decreasing the strain on groundwater sources...

  Europe continues to urbanize, and this will not change, especially with rural zones becoming less and less inhabited . Managing urban soil sealing will therefor become ever more critical. Policymakers, urban planners, and communities must collaborate on sustainable solutions to protect groundwater resources . Urban areas can – and should – transform from groundwater depletion zones into examples of sustainable water management. Cities that tackle soil sealing effectively can ensure sufficient water supplies for future generations, reduce flood risks, and enhance urban living quality. Groundwater security begins beneath our cities’ surfaces. By implementing strategic measures, Europe can shift towards sustainable urban living , effectively addressing groundwater depletion through smarter urban design and greater public awareness.

Q1: What is urban soil sealing? Urban soil sealing occurs when natural land surfaces are covered with impermeable materials like asphalt and concrete. This process blocks rainwater from infiltrating the ground, disrupting groundwater recharge.​ Q2: How does urban soil sealing affect groundwater levels? By preventing rainwater from soaking into the soil, urban soil sealing reduces the replenishment of groundwater reserves. This leads to decreased availability of groundwater for drinking, agriculture, and ecosystems.​ Q3: Why have farmers been blamed for groundwater shortages? Farmers have been historically blamed due to visible water usage in agriculture and the ease of tracking agricultural water consumption. However, urban areas, despite occupying only about 2.5% of Europe’s land, have a disproportionately high impact on groundwater depletion due to soil sealing.​ Q4: What measures have farmers taken to mitigate their impact on groundwater? Farmers have adopted practices such as reduc...

Urban soils provide essential ecosystem services: they support food production, filter water, store carbon, regulate temperatures, and sustain biodiversity. However, soil sealing , Soil pollution , and urban expansion threaten these benefits, increasing flood risks, intensifying heat islands and threatening food production in peri-urban land. Solutions exist. De-sealing, green roofs, urban vegetation and agriculture, composting, and sustainable urban planning can turn soil into opportunities to strengthen climate action, improve public health, reduce disaster risks, and foster inclusive and greener cities. Groundwater is vital. It’s the hidden resource fueling Europe’s drinking water, irrigation, and ecosystems. Yet today, cities – and not farmers like often is claimed – pose the biggest threat to groundwater availability. How? The answer lies in urban soil sealing: covering natural land surfaces with asphalt, concrete, and other impermeable materials resulting in groundwater shorta...

Healthy soils are the foundation for food, fuel, fibre and even medicine, said the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as it kicked off the 2015 International Year of Soils today on the first-ever World Soil Day . Healthy soils are the foundation for food, fuel, fibre and even medicine said the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today as it kicked off 2015 the International Year of Soils on the first-ever World Soil Day. Soils are also essential to our ecosystems, playing a key role in the carbon cycle, storing and filtering water, and improving resilience to floods and droughts, and yet we are not paying enough attention to this important “silent ally,” the UN agency explained. The International Year of Soils kicks off today at events in Rome, New York and Santiago de Chile, in an effort to raise awareness and promote more sustainable use of this critical resource. “Today, we have more than 805 million people facing hunger and malnutrition. P...

  Soil pollution refers to the presence of contaminant(s) in the soil whose nature, location, or quantity produces undesirable effects in the environment or human health. The laboratory analysis will depend on the results of the preliminary pollution risk assessment (in many cases this is not related to stakeholder management), after which the contaminants of major concern could be identified, and the specific method implemented. The contaminants of major concern considered in this document are trace elements, different types of pesticides, excess nutrients, hydrocarbons, and plastics. For an accurate assessment, it is therefore recommended to compile the necessary information related to the possible pollution risks, such as the proximity to a factory or a mining area, the source of irrigation water; the type and frequency of supplies and equipements used; and the use of agroplastics and its management. In addition, if a soil management practice is known to (potentially) introduc...