Welcome to part 3 of our mini series promoting the UN #WorldSoilDay on 5th December 2021 to raise awareness of salt-affected soils. This piece is a collection of videos produced by the UN. This is part of our series on Growing Sustainably.
You can find all content in this mini series at Mini Series: Salt Affected Soils.
If you already know that you have the power to improve soil salinization and help climate change, here are the options to make conscious decisions when buying food and drink:
- Check out #VoteWithOurMoney with 6 Steps to Help Stop Climate Change
- Try the Sustainability Roadmap with 40+ Solutions to Climate Change
- Use the Company Directory to Help You Grow, Eat, and Live Sustainably
If you want some more facts before making any decisions, let’s get into the details:
In part 1 of this mini series we looked at Salt-Affected Soils and part 2 covered The Effects of Soil Salinization. This time I’ve created a hub of videos created by the UN to help raise awareness about World Soil Day 2021.
World Soil Day 2021 Video Hub
6 Actions To Keep Soil Alive
Soil organisms are essential for food security, climate change and the environment. An agenda for action on soil biodiversity is needed to protect, strengthen monitoring, and prevent further biodiversity loss.
Beneath Our Feet
Our well-being is highly dependent on biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides. Yet the loss of soil biodiversity is considered one of the main global threats to soils in many regions of the world.
If an enabling environment is built, soil biodiversity could be a nature-based solution to many of the problems that humanity is facing today, from the field to the global scale.
Keep Soil Alive, Protect Soil Biodiversity
The animation gives a brief introduction on the main drivers, the key functions and challenges of soil biodiversity loss, indicating possible ways to enhance soil biodiversity as a nature-based solution.
Mission: Keep Soil Alive!
Soils are essential for food systems. It is estimated that 95 percent of our food is directly or indirectly produced in soils. Healthy soils allow us to grow a variety of food products needed for human nutrition and each of us depends on soil productivity.
Intensive land use, unsustainable soil management practices and deforestation leads to soil sealing, pollution, increases fire frequency. All these can damage soil biodiversity and its functions. We need to focus on preserving our soils before it reaches this stage.
Sustainable soil management, tailored to the type of soil and its use, is an important part of food security and our lives generally. We can all play a role and our mission is to #keepsoilalive.
The video has been developed within the FAO project “Integrated Natural Resources Management in Degraded Landscapes in the Forest-Steppe and Steppe Zones of Ukraine”, funded by Global Environment Facility.
Stop Soil Erosion, Keep Soil Where It Belongs!
Soil erosion poses a major threat to global food security and to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Find out more about the effects of soil erosion and the ways we can prevent it.
Soil Pollution, a Hidden Reality
While we can see many of the changes we have made to our planet, some of our impacts are virtually invisible, and soil pollution is a good example. Soil is a much more complex growing habitat that remains productive only when it is cared for and nurtured. Combating and addressing soil pollution means assessing and minimizing the risks for food security, human health and the environment. Global activities need to be launched and implemented in order to reduce soil pollution and remediate polluted sites. Be the Solution, to Soil Pollution!
The Global Soil Organic Carbon Map V1.0
The Global Soil Organic Carbon map V1.0 is an important stepping stone to better know the current Soil Organic Carbon stock stored beneath our feet and soils’ potential for further sequestration. It is the first global soil organic carbon map ever produced through an inclusive process driven by member countries. The map was developed by countries, under the guidance of our Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS) and the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) Secretariat.
Soil Organic Carbon – The Treasure Beneath Our Feet
An animated illustration of soil organic carbon and its importance for climate action, food production and sustainable development.
Soils and Pulses: Symbiosis for Life
This short animation introduces the new book “Soils and Pulses: symbiosis for life”. Pulses contribute to soil health, food security and nutrition, and climate change adaptation and mitigation. Their actions on Nitrogen fixation, phosphate ions solubilisation, and soil organic matter content increase benefit other plants and participate to protecting soils and enhancing soil production capacities. Sustainable soil management (eg. Inter-cropping, crop rotation, use of pulses…) will eventually contribute to achieve the SDGs.
Sustainable Soil Management: A Major Step in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals were recently created with a view to achieve sustainable development by 2030.
Of the 17 goals, four contain targets specifically related to Soils. This animation looks at some of the challenges we face in each of these goals and presents some of the methods we can use to tackle them.
Soil: An Essential Ingredient to Healthy Food and Nutrition
Learn more on how our soils are by nature linked to the micronutrient content of our food production and how to reverse the increasing trend of nutrient depleted soil by adopting sustainable soil management practices.
Soils: Our Ally Against Climate Change
A look at how our Soils help to combat climate change in their role of sequestering CO2, and how our collective habits can damage this benefit with potentially devastating consequences.
Soil 101
An animated introduction to soils functions and threats.
Soils: A Hidden Resource
Soils are a limited natural resource, but their role in food security is crucial. In light of climate change, soil degradation and erosion, farmers struggle to protect soil health.
You Can Improve Salt Affected Soils and Reverse Climate Change
I realised that the decisions I make when buying healthy food, give me the power to help climate change, encourage farmers to switch from degenerative to regenerative agriculture, and improve the health and happiness of my family.
Advocating for regenerative agriculture can seem completely removed from our day to day lives, however, the questions we ask in food shops, the healthy food we buy, and the conscious choices we make are all reminders that we have the power to improve our future and the health of planet earth.
Check-out our 10-part mini series on Conscious Buying Decisions to Help Climate Change with an article going live every week starting from 18th November 2021. You can also get the audio version by subscribing to our podcast or the video version by subscribing to our YouTube channel.
About World Soil Day 2021
Soil salinization and sodification are major soil degradation processes threatening ecosystem and are recognized as being among the most important problems at a global level for agricultural production, food security, and sustainability in arid and semi-arid regions. World Soil Day 2021 (#WorldSoilDay) and its campaign “Halt soil salinization, boost soil productivity” aims to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being by addressing the growing challenges in soil management, fighting soil salinization, increasing soil awareness, and encouraging societies to improve soil health.
Find Out More at UN FAO World Soil Day
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Suggested Reading
If you like the topic of this mini series, you might be interested in these reading suggestions with links to each book on Amazon.
Find Kiss the Ground by Josh Tickell Here on Amazon*
Find Soil Will Save Us by Kristin Ohlson Here on Amazon*
Find Soil, Grass, Hope by Courtney White Here on Amazon*
Find Dawn Again: Tracking the Wisdom of the Wild by Markegard and Doniga Here on Amazon*
Find Diet for a Hot Planet by Anna Lappé Here on Amazon*
Find Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life by David Montgomery Here on Amazon*
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Where Next?
There is so much inspiring information to give you ideas of how to help climate change by growing, eating, and living sustainably, you can:
- Read Our Articles
- Sign-Up to Our Free Email Newsletter
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- Use the Company Directory
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Sources Used to Create This Piece
Production Notes
This was produced by me, James Walters, as a personal project to help stop climate change by inspiring others to grow, eat, and live sustainably.
Any advice given is the opinion of those involved and does not constitute medical, financial, or legal advice.
* We include links we think you will find useful. If you buy through those links, we may earn a small commission. It’s one way to support our work and to inspire as many people as possible.