Journée mondiale des sols

About World Soil Day

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. The establishment of an international day to celebrate soil was recommended by the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) in 2002. After being endorsed at the FAO Conference in 2013, World Soil Day was formally recognized by the UN General Assembly.

2024 Theme – Caring for soils: measure, monitor, manage

This year’s theme for World Soil Day is Caring for soils: measure, monitor, manage. It underscores the importance of accurate soil data and information in understanding soils characteristics and supporting informed decision-making on sustainable soil management for food security.

This year’s celebration is particularly significant as it is the 10th celebration globally and, hosted by the Kingdom of Thailand, the first celebration outside FAO headquarters, coinciding with the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to be held from 2 to 16 December 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Soil and the Role of Geneva

In the face of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, our soils are being degraded and polluted, putting excessive pressure on this precious resource and the food systems that depend on it. Learn more about these issues and the role of Geneva-based organizations to promote the sustainable management of soils towards a food-secure world and stable and sustainably used ecosystems.

More on Soils, Food and the Environment

Food is at the center of human lives, and so are the soils that support food systems. However, unsustainable food production and consumption practices have led to environmental degradation, including soil degradation, and exacerbated climate change. In return, food systems suffer from climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

Land and soil degradation pose a major threat to global food security and to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – compromising the well-being of at least 3.2 billion people around the world. Loss of soil biodiversity, soil erosion, pollution and salinization are all critical issues that need to be addressed to ensure food security, livelihoods, and health for all.

As the leading organization on the issue, FAO provides numerous resources to better understand the role of soil and food systems for a sustainable future, as well as challenges and ways forward. From a Geneva perspective, our dedicated page provided useful resources on this nexus and the organizations in Geneva working on these issues. In light of recent international negotiations and debates on plastic pollution, the role of plastics in agriculture and the subsequent soil pollution has also been under focus. Find more information in our Plastics and the Environment series.

News and Resources

• FAO Soils Portal
• Global Soil Partnership Assembly discusses how to meet “ambitious and urgent” target | FAO | June 2024
• Global Resources Outlook 2024 | March 2024