Saving soil to safeguard food, climate and future generations

All life on earth depends on soil, because 95 of the foods that are produced and consumed come directly or indirectly from the soil. If soil loses its fertility and health, the production of food will naturally drop. The world population is escalating and feeding those many mouths will be very difficult in the coming days, as earth is losing its fertility largely due to several reasons. Plastic pollution, water and air pollution, fertilisers and harmful chemicals are adding to the toxicity of the soil on earth. Deforestation, soil erosion, climate change also are responsible for the soil to lose its fertility.

World Soil Day comes with a vow to save soil – one of the five essential elements that make our bodies and the planet. Celebrating this life force, and raising awareness about the importance of healthy soil for food security and environmental sustainability, World Soil Day is observed.

The day advocates for sustainable management of soil resources, and highlights how vital soil is for life on Earth, and how to promote the conservation of this critical resource. It also underlines the significance of healthy soil and its role in supporting agriculture, ecosystems and human well-being. Those living on earth have to adopt practices to prevent degradation and ensure long-term productivity.

Noted landscape artist and gardening consultant from Goa Ashok Dande shares his knowledge on soil health collected from his experience of six decades. Dande went organic 40 years ago. An octogenarian, he still conducts workshops for enthusiastic learners and soil activists to train them in following the basic modalities of gardening, planting, sowing.

Concerned by the increasing speed with which the soil in Goa is losing its fertility, Dande has experimented to create a concoction, which he calls ‘liquid gold’ to enrich the health of the soil. “Soil is under severe threat today. And this threat comes from the humans itself. Deforestation, pollution, climate change are the prime reasons that are depleting the quality of soil and its fertility,” says Dande.

The World Soil Day serves as a platform for people like Dande, the State governments, voluntary organisations and the communities to engage in activities, campaigns, educational events, and advocacy to protect and improve soil health.

Yogita Mehra and Karan Manral have been offering consultations to people who plant, grow their own organic food and are engaged in food production in Goa. Goa’s agricultural land is shrinking, and farmers are turning away from their traditional activities of farming and agriculture or horticulture. There are multiple reasons for this deviation – monkey menace, wild animals, crop loss due to climate change, loss of fertility of the soil, overuse of chemical fertilisers, and pollution. The other reasons are conversions of agricultural land into commercial plots to construct residential complexes or resorts.

The Kisan soil cards distributed to the farmers after checking the health of their soil have motivated the farmers to take care of the health of their soil, and nurture it. The land in the hinterlands is as important as that in the urban areas. Healthy urban soils perform vital ecosystem services, such as absorbing rainwater, controlling local temperatures, sequestering carbon, and improving air quality.

When soil is covered by cement and buildings (soil sealing), these functions are lost, making cities more vulnerable to flooding, overheating, and pollution. The 2025 World Soil Day theme aims to encourage everyone, from policymakers to citizens, to help build greener and healthier urban areas by focusing on soil health.

The health of the soil matters because it is directly linked with the production of food. Nobody can deny that all, or most foods we consume, come directly or indirectly from the soil. 95 % of food consumed globally depends on the soil for its production. And three staple crops – rice, wheat and corn offer 60 % of the calories. All three of these depend on healthy soils. The farmers’ livelihoods and soil are also connected. Healthy soils secure better livelihoods for farmers.

The soil stores about 80% of earth’s terrestrial carbon. When plants undergo photosynthesis, they absorb carbon dioxide, with the carbon forming the plants’ roots, stems, and leaves. When those plants die, fungi, bacteria, and other soil organisms break them down, and a portion of that carbon is stored in the soil as organic matter–sometimes for many years. Thus soil can be a tool in fighting climate change. Let’s save it, if we wish to increase the longevity of Mother Earth.