The theme of World Soil Day, Saturday 5 December, is Keep soil alive, protect soil biodiversity, which aims to raise global awareness of the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being by addressing the growing challenges in soil management, fighting soil biodiversity loss, increasing soil awareness and encouraging governments, organisations, communities and individuals around the world to commit to proactively improving soil health.
Without healthy and fertile soils, farming is not productive. That’s why British farmers prioritise the protection and management of soil. The more farmers know about their soils, the better placed they are to actively make strategic management decisions to maintain and improve the health of their soil, from informed choices about cultivation methods and crop rotations to decisions regarding the input of organic matter.
Phil Jarvis, NFU environment forum chairman (pictured above), said: “Soil is a farmer’s greatest asset. Good soil health is not only central to a farmer’s ability to produce the food that feeds the nation, it is also a key factor in our resilience to natural events such as floods and droughts.
“The awareness among farmers about the importance of investing in our soil health is at an all-time high, with increasing uptake in techniques such as cover cropping and minimum tillage.
“A future Environmental Land Management scheme should have range of soil health management options which could include cover cropping, nutrient management planning, reduced tillage if appropriate to the farming system, and incentives such as soil testing.
“It’s crucial that any future policy on soil management remains flexible and is not oversimplified. A ‘one size fits all’ approach could be detrimental to soil health in some sectors and some areas of the country.”
If you want to know more about soil, then Phil has answered the frequently asked questions on a farmer's most important asset here.
How you can get involved on social media:
You can join in with World Soil Day 2020 on social media platforms. Post your messages, photos and videos using the hashtags #WorldSoilDay and #backBritishfarming. Don't forget to mention us in your tweets and we'll give you a retweet: @NFUTweets
If you need any guidance on how to shoot video or share your farming story on social media then check out our page of handy hints and tips here.
There's also a wealth of assets, facts and pictures to share on World Soil Day on the United Nations website here.
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- Environment news and information
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- Back British Farming - follow our campaign news and get involved
