World Soil Day. Soil and water, the basic source of life

 

The soil is the main production environment for the growth of food crops, it provides them with the necessary nutrients. However, such threats as desertification, erosion and land misuse are causing increasing damage to soil health. For this reason, World Soil Day (WSD), held annually on December 5, reminds us of the need to take care of this valuable resource. 

This year’s WSD focused on the link between soil and water. Healthy soils are able to retain moisture, increasing their productivity and ability to resist erosion, which is a key condition for creating sustainable and viable agrifood systems.

On the occasion of the celebration of WSD in Moscow, a symposium “Soil and water, a source of life” was held in the building of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) on December 8, organized by the FAO Liaison Office with the Russian Federation in cooperation with the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS). The event was moderated by Academician, Deputy President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Pyotr Chekmarev.

“Soil is a source of life on Earth. I would like it to be preserved for our descendants for many centuries. Therefore, today everyone is concerned about its condition and is working to preserve soils, stop desertification, turn deserts into fertile lands so that they benefit people,” said the Deputy President of the Russian Academy of Sciences. “We know that globally large amounts of such soils are desertificated, including in Russia.”

Academician Pyotr Chekmarev welcomed the symposium participants on behalf of President of RAS Gennady Krasnikov and Vice-President of RAS Nikolay Dolgushkin.

Vladimir Moshkalo, Head of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Office in Russia, addressed the symposium participants, and quoted the statement of French zoologist and ecologist Jean Dorst: “Soil is our most precious capital. The life and well-being of the entire complex of terrestrial biocenoses, natural and artificial, ultimately depends on the thin layer forming the topmost cover of the Earth.”

Vladimir Moshkalo spoke about the dependence of biological diversity, climate change, and food production for the population of our planet on the state of soils: “World Soil Day is intended for us to change the consciousness of every person, his or her attitude to soils, since soils represent a huge interesting world of living and non-living organisms.”

In her greeting speech, Elena Sharoikina, Chairwoman of the Commission for Ecology and Sustainable Development of the Public Chamber of Russia, noted the importance of the scientific symposium: “The topic that is being raised today is significant. We understand that agricultural and industrial activities have a negative impact on the soil cover. I am glad that today scientific thought is focused on this issue both at the global level and in Russia. I have no doubt that scientists will find a way out of this situation.”

Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Scientific Head of the Water Problems Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences Viktor Danilov-Danilyan, cited a clearly formulated concept of soil biodiversity: “Soil biodiversity is a natural mechanism that determines the stability of biosystems, ensures their adequate response to external influences and the process of ecosystem reproduction in changing external conditions.” Without biodiversity, the well-known scientist stressed, the ecosystem loses the ability to maintain its climax structure, respectively, degrades and then dies.

“According to paleontological data, the rate of biodiversity decline has probably never been as high as it is now. First of all, it occurs for anthropogenic reasons. It is worth noting that specific measures are being taken to solve other global issues: the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was signed, according to which it is necessary to stop the production, sale and consumption of these substances. The Paris Agreement on Climate Change was also signed,” Viktor Danilov-Danilyan continued.

“Thus, the world community is taking coordinated measures to preserve the climate system. But there is practically nothing being done for soil biodiversity conservation, because business is not interested in this. None of the business structures sets itself the main goal of combating the decrease in soil biodiversity.

Now the international community is especially concerned about the situation in Central Asia: there is little water in the region, and primitive irrigation technologies prevail. At the same time, the cost of water for obtaining the same volumes of yields that are currently harvested in Central Asian countries can be reduced several times.”

Viktor Danilov-Danilyan highlighted such ways to solve problems with water resources as the transition to subsurface drip irrigation, introducing water reuse, saving water globally, and the use of advanced technologies.

Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Soil Science of Lomonosov Moscow State University Pavel Krasilnikov, briefed the participants thoroughly on coastal systems: “The coast is a place that unites land and sea, where they begin to interact and give a synergistic effect. Wetland coastal ecosystems are one of the most important nodes where biological diversity reaches a very high concentration.” He also listed the ecosystem services that coastal ecosystems provide: water filtration, defense against flooding, natural products, fish resources, etc.

Moreover, “coastal wetlands contribute directly to agricultural production by providing food for people and a source of water for crops, aquaculture and livestock. Man-made wetlands are especially important for providing staple food (rice, fish) to many people around the world. More than 50% of wetlands of international importance sustain human life, and about 37% provide livestock feed.”

“Some agricultural practices contribute to the degradation of wetlands,” the expert noted. “For example, more than 20% of wetlands of international importance in the world are affected by dams, and 20% by drainage. More than 20% of wetlands of international importance are also degraded due to livestock farming, the effects of wastewater from agriculture and forestry, or land-use changes.”

Natalia Rodriguez Eugenio, FAO Land and Water Division officer, made a presentation entitled “Integrated Soil and Water management: A way forward”. 

Increasing soil and water productivity is crucial for achieving food security, sustainable production and SDG targets. A “full package” of workable solutions is now available to enhance food production and tackle the main threats from land degradation, increasing water scarcity and declining water quality. But these will succeed only when there is a conducive enabling environment, strong political will, sound policies and inclusive governance.

This year, FAO is paying close attention to the sound management of natural resources as the only way to achieve food security and sustainable development worldwide. In October we hosted three major events: the Global Symposium on Soil and Water, the Rome Water Dialogue and the Science and Innovation Forum. These events have been a key milestone to start work on designing strategies for more resilient agricultural systems in terms of soil water use,” Natalia Rodriguez Eugenio shared the results of the work and plans.

“Breakthrough in soil moisture assessment: a new FAO tool – the WaPOR system” was the theme of the presentation by Aline Spencer, an expert from the FAO Land and Water Resources Division. As part of the report, a new WaPOR portal was presented, which provides an opportunity to simultaneously view various data on the state of water in different regions and compare them in real time, which contributes to monitoring agricultural production.

In turn, Vinay Nangia, Research Leader – Soil, Water and Agronomy, the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA), drew attention to the need to “build a common understanding and methodology on evapotranspiration (ETa) measurements, in the field and through remote sensing, on accuracy assessments of RS ETa data of different databases and on their analysis and use for agriculture-related applications (e.g., water accounting, water productivity, water management, etc.).”

Oleg Kobiakov, Director of the FAO Liaison Office with the Russian Federation, noted the special value of such forums: “There are many different Days in the international calendar: Soil Day, Wildlife Day, Bee Day, Cities Day, Day for Biological Diversity, there are Years and Decades. For our FAO office, all these events are an occasion for the professional community to gather, discuss issues that interest us at the expert level and tell the public about them in a simple and comprehensible language.

It is significant that among the participants of our symposium there are representatives of federal executive authorities, research institutes, the private sector, educational and scientific institutions, as well as specialized press.”

“One of our most active partners, Elena Sharoikina, Chairwoman of the Commission for Ecology and Sustainable Development of the Public Chamber of Russia, is the coordinator of the National Committee for the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration in Russia, and this is a completely different planning horizon, which allows us to set and solve long-term tasks. At the same time, soils have been identified as one of the target ecosystems that needs to be preserved and restored,” Oleg Kobiakov said in conclusion.

Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Sergey Shoba, President of the Faculty of Soil Science of Lomonosov Moscow State University, a well-known Russian soil scientist, noted that “the golden thread that ran through all the speeches was the idea of optimizing the water regime of soils. The problem will worsen because we are witnessing a global decrease in water resources. It is impossible to optimally use land and soil resources without water. Moreover, in practice we are witnessing the consequences of desertification in our southern regions and the republics of Central Asia, where an ecological disaster zone is emerging.

We must actively advocate for the development and implementation of new technologies, for financing comprehensive land reclamation activities that would take into account the task of preserving water potentials and optimal use of water resources,” Sergey Shoba said in conclusion. “Our symposium shows in which direction we should move forward.”

The President of the International Union of Soil Sciences, Dr Edoardo Costantini, presented a report on the topic “Assessing and monitoring soil health”, in which he called the level of soil fertility a key deterrent to the development of crop production. Highly fertile soils cover only 3% of the world’s land surface, but produce more than 40% of major crops. Constantini also stressed the importance of soil assessment descriptors used in the EU countries, such as salinization, erosion, organic carbon and soil compaction, as well as other important properties that do not have established thresholds at the level of member countries: acidification, soil surface compaction, biodiversity and urbanization.

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The symposium was also attended by Elvira Dedova, Deputy Director for Science of Kostyakov Russian Research Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Melioration, Pavel Pletnev, Head of the Department of Hygienic Rationing and Monitoring of Chemicals in Soil of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Erisman Federal Scientific Center for Hygiene”, Andrey Novikov, Director of the All-Russian Research Institute of Irrigated Agriculture, Sergey Rednikov, Associate Professor of the Department of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Water Resources Management of Russian State Agrarian University – Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy, Lidiya Dokuchaeva, a leading researcher at the Russian Scientific Research Institute of Land Improvement Problems, Vladimir Nosov, Head of the Competence Center, JSC Apatit (PhosAgro Group), and Ksenia Belousova, Head of the UralChem Agronomic Service. 

The symposium at the RAS site has become an important event, reminding of the importance of preserving healthy soils and sustainable use of land resources. The reports of the experts presented not only the relevant issues with soil and water resources, but also contained specific suggestions for their solution. The participants of the symposium expressed their willingness to work together on soil conservation and the development of plans for its sustainable use.  

The full statements of the experts can be found in the recording.

 

THE BACKGROUND INFORMATION

📌 Soil and water are essential resources for sustaining life on Earth.

• Soil and water provide the foundation for food production, ecosystems, and human well-being. Recognizing their invaluable roles, we can take proactive measures to safeguard these resources for future generations.
• Soil erosion and compaction disrupt the capacity of soil to store, drain and filter water, and exacerbates the risk of flood, landslides and sand/dust storms.
• Soil and water are the medium in which plants grow and obtain essential nutrients.
• Healthy soil plays a crucial role as a natural filter, purifying and storing water as it infiltrates into the ground.
• Rainfed agriculture systems account for 80% of croplands, contributing to 60% of the global food production These systems rely heavily on effective soil moisture management practices.
• Irrigated agriculture systems withdraw 70% of the world’s freshwater and account for 20% of croplands. 

📌 Soil and water are interconnected resources that need integrated management.

• The health of the soil and the quality and availability of water are interconnected.
• Implementing sustainable soil management practices enhances water availability for agriculture. Healthy soils, enriched with organic matter, play a crucial role in regulating water retention and availability.
• Efficient use of quality water, promoting the sustainable use of fertilizers and pesticides, employing appropriate irrigation methods, improving drainage systems, controlling pumping, and monitoring soil and groundwater salinity levels are essential to maintaining sustainable agricultural practices. 
• Sustainable soil management is key to improve water productivity in irrigated systems.

📌 Improper soil and water management practices affect soil erosion, soil biodiversity, soil fertility, and water quality and quantity. 

• Water scarcity leads to the loss of soil biodiversity, while leaching and eutrophication from agriculture practices lead to the loss of biodiversity in water bodies.
• The mismanagement of pesticides and fertilizers not only threatens soil and water quality but also poses significant risks to human health and ecosystems.​
• Poor irrigation and drainage practices are some of the main drivers of soil salinization​​.
• Rising sea levels contribute to land loss, increasing the risk of soil salinization and sodification, which can negatively impact agricultural productivity.

📌 Soil and water conservation contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation.

• Improved soil and water management improves the land's capacity to withstand extreme climate events such as droughts, floods and sand/dust storms.​
• Integrated soil and water management practices provide essential ecosystem services, supporting life on earth and enhancing ecosystem resilience.
• Healthy soils act as a carbon sink, by sequestering carbon from the atmosphere, thus contributing to both climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts.