World Soil Day (WSD) is held annually on 5 December and its campaign, aim to raise awareness on the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems and human wellbeing by addressing the key challenges related to soil fertility, soil health and nutrient imbalance.
Key facts and figures about soil:
95% of our food comes from soils.
18 naturally occurring chemical elements are essential to plants. Soils supply 15.
Agricultural production will have to increase by 60% to meet the global food demand in 2050.
Up to 58% more food could be produced through sustainable soil management.
However, about one third of our soils are already degraded, and the level of vitamins and nutrients in food has fallen drastically over the last 70 years.
Studies worldwide show that regardless the soil type, drip irrigation is by far the best irrigation method concerning soil degradation. Converting to drip irrigation from conventional irrigation methods, can significantly reduce soil depredation, while at the same time increase both efficiency and effectiveness.
Source: FAO
