World Soil Day 2023

World Soil Day (WSD) is held annually on 5 December as a means to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and to advocate for the sustainable management of soil resources.

With its thematic focus on 'soil and water,' World Soil Day 2023 aims to draw attention to the interaction between soil and water, both sources of life. However, while this interaction is mainly favorable to life in intact and healthy soil, it is out of balance and often destructive in degraded soil.

Degradation of soil is mainly the result of improper soil and water management practices, leading to soil erosion, loss of soil fertility, reduced water holding capacity, and decreasing biodiversity of soil organisms. While one cubic meter of healthy soil can retain more than 250 liters of water and make it available to plants and other organisms, degraded soil holds less water. It is prone to both water erosion and drought.

Globally, about one-third of the soil has already been degraded. At the same time, in Armenia, reports have stated that about two-thirds of the agricultural land is subject to different stages of degradation. However, soils can be regenerated with practices like no-till agriculture, permanent ground cover, biodiverse cropping systems, and, last but not least, the reduction of agrochemical use. Thus, with increased humus formation, microbial activity is enhanced also leading to better soil structural stability, aeration, infiltration, and water-holding capacity and thus becoming more beneficial to life again.