Welcome
Healthy soils, healthy future: World Soil Day 2024 under the banner of sustainability
Rome, 5 December 2024 - The theme of this year's World Soil Day is “Caring for Soils: Measure, Monitor, Manage”. The global initiative emphasizes the crucial role of soils for food security, climate protection and sustainable development.
The international campaign emphasizes the importance of accurate soil data for a better understanding of soil properties and for informed decisions for sustainable soil management.
The official celebration will take place on December 5, 2024, in two locations:
- Pak Chong Soil and Water Conservation Research Center in Pak Chong, Thailand, from 14:30 to 15:30 (GMT+7), and
- The Action Dome in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 10:30-11:30 (GMT+3), during COP 16 to the UNCCD.
The list of attendees is stellar:
- HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of the Kingdom of Thailand,
- H.E. Narumon Pinyosinwat, Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives of the Kingdom of Thailand,
- H.E. Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Alfadley, Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
- QU Dongyu, Director-General of the FAO,
- Alvaro Lario, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD),
- Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD.
In addition to cultural contributions and lectures, the Glinka World Soil Prize for outstanding achievements in soil protection and the King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award for innovative projects to promote soil health will be presented.
Background information
World Soil Day was launched by the FAO in 2013. It is an integral part of the global calendar for sustainable development. The aim of the day is to raise public awareness of the central role of soil.
Since its inception, the day has reached millions of people every year and inspired a variety of projects to protect and regenerate soils around the world.
Soils are crucial for biodiversity, filtering water and reducing pollution. They also contribute significantly to carbon sequestration, underlining their central role in climate change mitigation.
This year's campaign is committed to ensuring that soils are better recorded, monitored and managed worldwide in order to maintain their functions for people and the environment in the long term.