World Soil Day: December 5

“Leave it better than you found it.”

- Bruce A. Nordstrom, American Businessman

Back to Winter Inspiration

World Soil Day

Did you know...

The diversity of soil life supports life on the ground above. Soil animals including but not limited to ants, beetles, and worms, contribute to soil health. They help to decompose dead plants and animals while mixing soil layers.

Fun Facts:

1 cubic meter of healthy soil can retain over 250 liters of water.
Soil fertility is crucial to delivering sufficient, high quality, safe, and more nutritious food for better nourished people, animals, and plants.

United Nations World Soil Day

The Mysteries of Soil: Fertility, Filtration, & Purification

World Soil Day is celebrated on December 5 by the United Nations. This global day brings awareness to the importance of healthy soil and advocates for the sustainable management of soil resources. The United Nations’ has a campaign to raise awareness of the importance of and relationship between soil and water in achieving sustainable and resilient agricultural food systems.

In order to understand the importance of soil let us first understand the meaning of soil. According to the Britannica Encyclopedia, soil is the permeable medium that comprises the Earth’s crust layer. Soil is pivotal to life on Earth as we know it. Soil plays a significant role in naturally filtering, purifying, and storing water as it penetrates the ground. The natural filtration that it provides can filter out harmful contaminants and waste. This creates a rich environment conducive to growth, thus creating rich fertile soil that stimulates food fertility.

Types of Soil

Sand

Sand is the largest soil particle.

Sandy soils are light, dry, and warm, and they are low in nutrients. They are used for road construction, mixing with asphalt, and making concrete blocks, bricks, and pipes. When rubbed between your fingers, sand feels gritty.

Silt

Silt is a medium sized soil particle.

Silt soils are fertile and light, and they retain moisture well. They are good for growing crops and promote air circulation. When dry, silt feels similar to flour.

Clay

Clay is the smallest soil particle.

Clay soils are heavy, wet, and cold in the winter, and dry in the summer. They are high in nutrients and are used to make pottery, bricks, and other construction materials. When wet, clay feels sticky and clumps together.

However, in rare cases soil can be all clay (such as in the US mid-west), all sand (such as at our FL Beaches) or all silt (commonly seen in the US Mid and Northeast). The quantity and combination of each particle essentially changes the texture of the soil.

The mineral content in the soil can be determined by the soil color. Orange-brown/yellow-brown soils are high in iron. Dark brown/black soil contains a lot of organic matter. Well drained soil is brightly colored while wet soggy soil can be gray, red or yellow.

Around 95% of our food comes from soil, which relies on the symbiotic relationship between soil and water. This relationship is a natural balance that is essential to providing nutrients to the plants in the ground and helps to build and maintain our ecosystems.

Unfortunately, due to climate change and human activity, soil erosion and degradation is pushing this relationship off balance. The undue stress on our water resources is straining this natural balance, which in turn leads to reduced water infiltration and water availability. This nutrient imbalance affects us world-wide for crops, animal, and human nutrition. How can we help prevent this crisis? We can help this nutrient imbalance in our own back yards by composting, please see page 5 for composting tips. We can also help by planting native species and by not using pesticides in our yards. The animals, bugs, critters, and insects that help to move the layers of soil and decompose dead plants and animals are harmed greatly with the use of pesticides. Sustainable soil management practices are necessary to keep our soil nutrients in place so that we can maintain our soil ecosystems. Soil loss has a massive impact to life as we know it, this can be something that we help to prevent by changing little things in our routines and how we interact with our yards.

“One inch of topsoil can take several hundred years or more to develop.”

- The Soil Science Society of America

Sustainable Soil

Management Practices

Minimum Tillage
Crop Rotation
Organic Matter Addition
Cover Cropping
Improve Soil Health
Reduce Erosion and Pollution
Enhance Water Infiltration and Storage
Provision of Fiber
Aesthetics
Provision of Wood
Provision of Support for Animals
Carbon Storage and Greenhouse Gas Regulation
Cultural Identity

These practices help to preserve soil biodiversity, improve fertility, and contribute to carbon sequestration, playing a crucial role in the fight against climate change.

Soil Loss

Minimal

Forests
Thickets
Pasture Grasses

Moderate

Small Grain Farms (Barley, Oats, Rice and Wheat)
Forage Crop Lands

High

Clear Tilled Orchards
Row Crops
Bare Land

Composting

To have a successful compost bin, you need a proper balance of carbon-rich materials (browns), nitrogen-rich materials (greens), water (moisture), and air (oxygen).

Nitrogen-Rich Materials (greens):

Fruit and vegetable scraps
Grass clippings, Coffee grounds, and paper filters
Paper tea bags (no staples)
Eggshells (crushed)

Carbon-Rich Materials (browns):

Dry leaves
Plant stalks and twigs
Shredded paper (non-glossy, uncolored)
Shredded carboard (no wax coating or tape)
Untreated wood chips

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse