World Soil Day

• 08 Dec 2021

Why in News

Recently, ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) – Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute (CCARI) celebrated ‘World Soil Day’ (WSD) on 5th December 2021.

Key Points

• It was recommended by the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) in 2002. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has supported the formal establishment of WSD as a global awareness-raising platform under the leadership of the Kingdom of Thailand within the framework of the Global Soil Partnership.
• 5^th December 2014 was designated as the first official WSD by the UN General Assembly (UNGA).
  
  • 5^th December was chosen because it corresponds with the official birthday of H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the King of Thailand, who officially sanctioned the event.
• FAO gives two awards in line with this day:
  
  • The King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award: An annual award that honours individuals, communities, organizations and countries that organized remarkable and engaging World Soil Day activities or campaigns in the previous year.
  • The Glinka World Soil Prize: An annual award for dynamic change-makers dedicated to solving one of our world’s most pressing environmental issues: soil degradation. It honors individuals and organizations whose leadership and activities have contributed, or are still contributing to the promotion of sustainable soil management and the protection of soil resources.
• India Initiatives to Improve Soil Health:
  
  • Soil Health Card Scheme
  • Organic Farming
  • Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana
  • Fertilizer Self-Sufficiency
  • Digital Agriculture
  • Carbon Farming
  • The Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) Scheme

Source: PIB