St Kitts and Nevis celebrates World Soil Day

St Kitts and Nevis: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources St Kitts shares a post to raise awareness and promote the significance of soil on the observance of World Soil Day on December 5.

Soil is the critical component of the natural environment and the day is celebrated under the theme “Soil and Water: a source of life,” as stated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

On this, the ministry even mentioned that the future depends on healthy soil. This marked the need of  raising awareness as a number of issues that affect the quality of soils such as erosion, compaction, loss of soil structure, nutrient degradation and soil salinity are negatively affecting the soil quality.

Moreover, issues like soil erosion and soil compaction can even result in a reduction of more than 40% in soil’s capacity to retain water. Also, this can increase the risk of landslides, flooding and sand or dust storms.

Probing ahead, Soil and water lie at the heart of sustaining life on the planet as soil health and the quality, availability of water are interconnected which the theme of World Soil Day so evidently justifies.

In its justification, more facts can be presented like 95% of the food comes from the soil, it is connected to the water as it is the upper layer of the water.

Emphasizing on the causes of soil salinization, poor irrigation and drainage are the main drivers and the soil affected by salinity and sodicity reduce agricultural productivity.

Further, healthy soil even plays a  crucial role as a natural filter, purifying and storing water as it infiltrates into the ground. Also, to quality of the sail can be determined by:

• Dark Color – it shows that the soil has plenty of organic matter
• A crumbly texture – it is a sign of the presence of organic matter
• Roots that spread – this reveals that plants are happy with the soil
• Earthworms and other beneficial insects – these as well indicates a good soil

Next, healthy soils even act as a carbon sink which helps in adapting to climate change to mitigate its effects. Importantly, the soil and water management also improves the land’s capacity to withstand extreme climate events such as droughts, floods and fires.