On 5 December, World Soil Day celebrates soil’s vital role in sustaining life on Earth, and promotes sustainable practices to help protect it. More than 95 per cent of our food comes from soils, and it’s also essential for carbon capture, water regulation and biodiversity – without it life really would be impossible.
What are the problems with soil health?
The wide-scale degradation and erosion of the world’s soil is a huge problem as it can take up to 1,000 years to produce just 2-3cm of soil. Soils are becoming degraded across the world as a result of human activity: pollution, erosion and compaction are causing significant problems, and one third of soils worldwide is thought to be degraded. In the UK, over two million hectares (over 70 per cent of all arable land) is at risk of erosion, and intensive agriculture has caused arable soils to lose up to 60 per cent of their organic carbon.
Climate change is putting further pressure on soils in a number of ways: heavy rain washes it away and can wash pollution on to soils, and flooding kills species living in the soil while also compromising the nutrient value of the soil. Conversely, drought and and fire can reduce nutrient density and soil structure, increasing the risk of soil erosion, as well as also killing the species living in it.
Ever since the United Nations General Assembly designated 5 December 2015 the first World Soil Day, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations has been spreading the word about sustainable soil management practices and supporting World Soil Day events across the globe. You can get involved in improving soil health by supporting organisations, such as The Soil Association and LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming), that work to promote sustainable farming practices.
World Soil Day 2025
This year’s World Soil Day theme is ‘Healthy Soils for Healthy Cities’, emphasising the importance of healthy urban soils. Healthy vegetated soils help regulate temperature, improve air quality and capture carbon. But if large areas are covered in concrete, they stop working, and not only release carbon back into the atmosphere but are not available to soak up water and prevent flooding, as well as pollution and overheating.
How can we help?
Everyone – in both rural and urban areas – can help improve the soil health in their garden by following these simple steps:
- Create as much planted space in your garden as possible in place of hard landscaping
- If you need to add hard landscaping, minimise the area covered and make sure you choose permeable surfaces
- Don’t use pesticides, as they can have detrimental effects on soil health
- Only use peat-free compost so you don’t damage soils elsewhere in the world
- Avoid leaving soil bare – instead keep it planted to conserve carbon and retain nutrients
- Minimise digging to maintain a healthy soil structure and avoid disturbing the soil ecosystem
- Add an annual layer of organic mulch (at least 5cm) to feed soil micro-organisms and other soil life
