FAO declares 2015 as the International Year of Soils
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Soils are essential for ecosystems: they play a fundamental role in the carbon cycle; they store and filter water; and they improve resilience to floods and droughts. This was explained by José Graziano da Silva, director general of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), on December 5 to celebrate World Soil Day.
Currently, the use of soils is used for the development of various industries such as the production of food, fuels, fibers and medical instruments. Its constant use is generating degradation in the world. The causes of this degradation are varied: erosion, compaction, salinization, depletion of organic matter and nutrients, acidification, contamination and other processes caused by unsustainable soil management practices, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
That is why 2015 has been declared by FAO as the “International Year of Soils.
“Today, more than 805 million people suffer from hunger and malnutrition. Population growth will require increasing food production by approximately 60%. Since so much of our food depends on soils, it is easy to understand how essential it is to keep them healthy and productive,” said the FAO Director-General.
The organization estimates that one-third of the world's soil resources are being degraded due to erosion, compaction, sealing, salinization, organic matter and nutrient depletion, acidification, contamination or other processes caused by unsustainable soil management practices. «Human pressure on them is reaching critical levels; reducing, and sometimes eliminating, essential soil functions,» Graziano da Silva stressed.
Sources:
ABC.es
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