World Soil Day (WSD) is held annually on 5 December as a means to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and advocating for the sustainable management of soil resources.

World Soil Day 2022 (#WorldSoilDay) and its campaign "Soils: Where food begins" aims to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being by addressing the growing challenges in soil management, increasing soil awareness and encouraging societies to improve soil health.

Over the last 70 years, the level of vitamins and nutrients in food has drastically decreased, and it is estimated that 2 billion people worldwide suffer from lack of micronutrients, known as hidden hunger because it is difficult to detect.

Soil degradation induces some soils to be nutrient depleted losing their capacity to support crops, while others have such a high nutrient concentration that they represent a toxic environment to plants and animals. Poor soils can also pollute the environment and cause climate change.

Soil Facts

🌱 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.
🌱 33% of soils are degraded.
🌱Up to 58% more food could be produced through sustainable soil management.

Composting Builds Healthy Soil

Composting our food waste is one of the simplest ways we can build soil. Composting helps to eliminate greenhouse gases being created by our food and garden waste in landfill and instead, sequester atmospheric Carbon back into our soil. Composting your food waste will make the rich and vital soil that grows healthy and vibrant plants from our recycled waste.

We love getting our hands dirty and delving into the soil in our gardens - nourishing the earth and the soul. What is your favourite thing about soil?