FAO Jamaica

On December 5 each year, countries across the world celebrate World Soil Day and focus their attention on the importance of soil for agricultural production. Many join in a range of activities to advocate for healthy soils and the sustainable management of our soil resources to ensure food security, healthy ecosystems, livelihoods and human well-being.

This year marks the 8th anniversary of World Soil Day with the theme “Halt soil salinization, boost soil productivity”. 

Salt-affected soils is a growing challenge in the Caribbean. Jamaica’s location in a coastal zone causes some of the soil to be naturally affected by salt, however the ecosystems living in these areas have adapted to these conditions. The challenge we face is that for many other areas in the country our soils are becoming increasingly affected by high salt and sodium content as a result of our own actions. Unsustainable agricultural practices, such as improper water management due to insufficient water supply, poor water quality, the reuse of brackish water and bad drainage systems are among some of the root causes of soil salinization. 

Our soil is where our food begins. With approximately 95% of the food we consume coming from soils, we must endeavour to protect and improve our soils so that we can sustainably produce the food we need for consumption and export. 

FAO predicts that as climate change and water scarcity increase, our soils will become more and more affected by salt. This poses a serious threat to food security, the nutritional content of our food, and agricultural productivity- all of which negatively impact lives and livelihoods. The onus is therefore on us to revisit our agricultural practices to ensure that we are not contributing to the degradation of our soils and can continue to produce efficiently. 

To our farmers and agriculturalists, we encourage you to use this day to share and learn as much as you can about soil salinization, sustainable farming systems and innovations that can help to prevent and manage salt affected soils. 

If we are to achieve better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, we must adopt good agricultural practices that will help to halt soil salinization and boost soil productivity. The time to start is now.