World Soil Day 2021: Together Let's Try to Halt Soil Salinization and Boost Soil Productivity

December 5th is celebrated often as World Soil Day, a day to commemorate the very earth that feeds us, clothes us and empowers us. This year the theme of the World Soil Day will be Halt soil salinization, boost soil productivity, which is aimed at decreasing the salinity of the soil.

So how did it start?

In 2002, the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) proposed an international day to honor soil. FAO has supported the formal foundation of WSD as a global awareness-raising platform under the leadership of the Kingdom of Thailand and within the scope of the Global Soil Partnership. In June 2013, the FAO Conference unanimously endorsed World Soil Day and asked that it be officially adopted at the 68th United Nations General Assembly.

It was also adopted officially in the 68 th United Nations General Assembly. As a result, World Soil Day was for the First time Officially celebrated on 5th December 2014.

Every year on December 5th, World Soil Day (WSD) is commemorated to raise awareness about the importance of healthy soil and to advocate for the long-term management of soil resources. Hence 5th of December was chosen as the official day to celebrate World Soil Day since it is H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej's formal birthday, as he was the one who officially sanctioned the event.

Significance Of Stopping Soil Salinity as a theme for World Soil Day 2021

A buildup of water-soluble salts in the soil is known as salinization. Typically, table salt (NaCl) is used. The list is much longer and includes sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulphates, chlorides, carbohydrates, and bicarbonates, among other chemicals. Depending on the content, salt-affected earth are classified as saline, sodic, or saline-sodic.

The main effect of soil salinity on plant growth is a reduction in water absorption. Crops wither and die because of a lack of water absorption, even with adequate soil moisture.

According to the report of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) of 2018 at a Global level:

• About 190 million acres are lost per year

• 150 million acres are damaged

• 5 billion acres are affected by salinity

This shows the severity of this issue that we face and how essential such a theme is to be taken up to fix global soil-related problems