‘World Soil Day aims to inspire individuals, organisations, and governments to prioritise and safeguard this most precious natural resource for all generations. Let all of us do our best to deliver care and justice to the soil of this land.
Mushtaq Ahmad Bala
Civilisation began from the womb of soil, has been nourished by the ingredients in soil, and has sustained itself using the strength and endurance of soil.
The World Soil Day campaign aims to raise awareness about the significance of the relationship between soil and water in achieving sustainable and resilient agrifood systems. If soil dies, if the land is lost, if the crop field is grabbed, who will sustain our lives? Soil is a living system that takes thousands of years to form, but the cruelty of civilisation can kill it within an hour. The survival and sustenance of our beloved Earth largely depend on the sustainable link between soil and water. This symbiotic relationship is the foundation of our agricultural systems and livelihoods.
In the face of climate change and inconsiderate human activities, our soil is being degraded and excessive pressure is being put on our water resources. Erosion disrupts the natural balance, reducing water infiltration and availability for all forms of life. Sustainable soil management practices—such as minimum tillage, crop rotation, organic matter addition, and cover cropping—improve soil health, reduce erosion and pollution, and enhance water infiltration and storage. These practices also preserve the soil’s biodiversity, improve fertility, and contribute to carbon sequestration, thus playing a crucial role in the fight against climate change. Rain-fed agriculture systems, which account for 80 percent of croplands and contribute to 60 percent of global food production, rely heavily on effective soil moisture management practices.
Soils enriched with organic matter play a vital role in maintaining hydrological balance. Furthermore, soil acts as a carbon sink by sequestering carbon from the atmosphere and contributing to climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts. Unwise use of soil and water erodes soil and deteriorates soil biodiversity, soil fertility, and water quality and quantity.
We wax poetic about our supposed love for the soil frequently. However, we fail to show this love in our actions towards the soil. We fail to realise that the soil has life, too.
On World Soil Day, rallies, meetings, and seminars are held, and special supplements are published in newspapers. But these never bring any tangible change in our attitude towards the soil, and we continue to pollute the soil with the wastes of civilisation and technology. By extracting underground water, we make soil fragile and break up its physical structure.
Our priyo dharitri (beloved earth) is increasingly turning blue due to the slow poisoning by the commercial plans of corporate development, globalisation, and capitalistic aggressions. Which of us has ever seen the soil’s diagnostic report? What is the level of soil acidity, microorganisms, and salinity? What are the tolerable levels of heavy metals, pesticides and nuclear waste in soil? The current soil health map presents a sobering and depressing picture of soil’s levels of organic matter, phosphorus, potassium, heavy metals, salinity, acidity, erosion and other nutrients. If we keep killing our soil, someday soon, it will lead to the end of our existence.
World Soil Day aims to inspire individuals, organisations, and governments to prioritise and safeguard this most precious natural resource for all generations. Let all of us do our best to deliver care and justice to the soil of this land.
In this context the Agriculture Department Kashmir today celebrated World Soil Health Day (WSD) 2023 across Kashmir with the main function held at the agriculture complex Lalmandi Srinagar.
The function was inaugurated by Director Agriculture Kashmir, Chowdhury Mohammad Iqbal through virtual mode.
World Soil Health Day 2023 is celebrated under the theme of ‘Soil & Water, A Source of Life’.
Addressing the function, Director Agriculture said that organising soil day provides us with an opportunity to pay attention and address the issues and challenges confronting this finite resource (Soil).
He highlighted the importance of soil for human survival and said that World Soil Health Day 2023 and its campaign are focused on raising awareness on the importance of soil among farmers.
Director Agriculture said that farmers should be made sensitive towards the improper soil management practices. He said the health of the soil has a direct impact on our own health therefore all possible efforts should be put in place, so that this most important natural resource could be preserved for generations to come.
Director Agriculture impressed upon the concerned Chief Agriculture Officers to conduct an awareness programme regarding Soil Health Management. He directed the concerned officers to regularly monitor the progress on the ‘Soil Health Card Scheme’ and ensure that farmers are managing their cultural practices as per the recommendation of Soil Health card.
Joint Director Agriculture Extension, G.M Dhobi; Joint Director Agriculture Inputs, Tabassum Naz; Chief Agriculture Officer Srinagar, Manohar Lal Sharma; District Agriculture Officer Srinagar, Nodal Officer Zero Budget Natural Farming, Assistant Bio-Chemist Srinagar also expressed their views on the occasion. A large gathering of Farmers was also present at the function.
Besides holding functions at the District level, World Soil Day 2023 was celebrated at Sub-Division and zonal levels across the Kashmir Division.
Pertinently in 2002, the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) recommended an international day to celebrate soil. Under the leadership of the Kingdom of Thailand, the FAO supported the establishment of WSD. In 2013 the FAO Conference formally endorsed WSD. In December 2013, the UN General Assembly officially designated December 5th as World Soil Day, commemorating the birthday of the late H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej. He was the King of Thailand and one of the leading proponents of this initiative.
