WORLD SOIL DAY CAMPAIGN MATERIAL
On this page we provide communication materials to help create a buzz about World Soil Day. Check this space often because we will keep producing fun campaign materials until December 2021.
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Multimedia
Discover the new LAB activity book for children!
Salty experiments with soil for children and guide for teachers
Discover this fun booklet designed to give children an insight into soil salinity and sodicity. Together with their teachers, kids can pick the activities that best match their interests. Learning about salinity, its causes, its significance and its implication is the start of the process of doing our best…
Download here
World Soil Day, 5 December 2021 | OFFICIAL POSTERS
World Soil Day, 5 December 2021 | OFFICIAL SOCIAL MEDIA CARDS
World Soil Day, 5 December 2021 | MEGABANNERS
World Soil Day, 5 December 2021 | WEB BANNERS AND BUTTONS
World Soil Day, 5 December 2021 | T-SHIRTS
Giving out T-shirts at WSD events can create real team spirit and gives everyone involved a nice souvenir of the day.
With these files, you can print your own WSD t-shirts. It’s not hard. We’ve provided the instructions.
Arabic | Chinese | English | French | Russian | Spanish
World Soil Day, 5 December 2021 | PPT PRESENTATION
Do you need to deliver a presentation for World Soil Day? You can download the official WSD template in English:
New social media cards and poster
Salt-affected Soils: A global concern reducing agricultural productivity
Soils affected by salinity and sodicity undergo a rapid decline of health, losing their capacity for biomass production, natural filtration, carbon sequestration and other necessary ecosystem functions.
French | Spanish | Chinese | Russian | Arabic | Catalan | Galician | Portuguese | Hebrew
Global Symposium on Salt-affected Soils
This high-level science-policy meeting #GSAS21 “Halt soil salinization, boost soil productivity” will be held in a virtual format from 20 to 22 October 2021.
Global map on Salt-affected Soils
The Global map on Salt-affected Soils (GSASmap) is a product containing contributions from over 118 countries with 257419 locations containing measured soil data.
Are all salt-affected soils a threat?
The differences between naturally saline and sodic soils and human-induced salinization and sodification.
Economical losses due to soil salinization
The global annual cost of salt-induced land degradation in irrigated areas is estimated to be USD 27.3 billion related to lost crop production.
Migration due to soil salinization
As climate change and water scarcity increase, more soils become salt-affected...forcing people to leave their once productive land and migrate.
What can you do? Halt soil salinization, Boost soil productivity
Raise awareness, promote the use of sustainable farming systems, invest in gathering better knowledge...
Farmers in action
Eight good practices to halt soil salinization and boost soil productivity: Practice halophytic agriculture, irrigate with good quality water...
Trello cards
- Salinization is an excessive accumulation of salts in the soils: AR | ZH | EN | FR | RU | ES
- Salinization in irrigated areas is estimated to cost USD 27.3 billion in lost crop production per year: AR | ZH | EN | FR | RU | ES
- As climate change and water scarcity increase, more soils become salt-affected which threatens the livelihoods of millions of people: AR | ZH | EN | FR | RU | ES
- Salt-affected soils undergo structural deterioration and become hard and compacted: AR | ZH | EN | FR | RU | ES
- Salt-affected soils are less fertile and productive for most crops and pose a serious threat to food security: AR | ZH | EN | FR | RU | ES
- Halophytes are naturally salt-tolerant plants that have the ability to rehabilitate salt-affected soils: AR | ZH | EN | FR | RU | ES
Global Soil Doctors Programme - Educational posters
How to prevent soil salinization and sodification?
This poster explains how to prevent soil salinization and sodification.
Download PDF: High res
Official languages: French | Spanish | Chinese | Russian | Arabic
Other languages
How to manage salt-affected soil?
This poster explains how to manage salt-affected soil.
Download PDF: High res
Official languages: French | Spanish | Chinese | Russian | Arabic
Other languages
World Soil Day, 5 December | Comics
World Soil Day logo
The official WSD logo is available for download and use to help the campaign at your event! Look out for more languages in the coming weeks! If you would like to request the logo in a new language, please send an email to [email protected].
EN: S | M | L | pdf FR: S | M | L | pdf ES: S | M | L | pdf RU: S | M | L | pdf AR: S | M | L | pdf CH: S | M | L | pdf
All translations are available on the WSD logo webpage!
Get involved!
Videos
6 actions to keep soil alive
Soil organisms are essential for food security, climate change and the environment. An agenda for action on soil biodiversity is needed to protect, strengthen monitoring, and prevent further biodiversity loss. |
Beneath our feet
World Soil Day - Keep soil alive, Protect soil biodiversity, focuses on soil biodiversity as a key factor to achieve food security, mitigate climate change and improve human health. |
Keep soil alive, protect soil biodiversity
Keep soil alive, protect soil biodiversity This animation gives a brief introduction on the main drivers, the key functions and challenges of soil biodiversity loss, indicating possible ways to enhance soil biodiversity as a nature-based solution. English | عربية | 中文 | Français | Pусский | Español | Thai | Portuguese | Italian Short version: English |
Stop soil erosion, Keep soil where it belongs
Stop soil erosion, Keep soil where it belongs Soil erosion poses a major threat to global food security and to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Find out more about the effects of soil erosion and the ways we can prevent it. |
Soil Pollution: a Hidden Reality
Soils are essential for food systems. Healthy soils allow us to grow a variety of food products needed for human nutrition and each of us depends on soil productivity. |
Soil Pollution, a hidden reality Soil is a complex growing habitat that remains productive only when it is cared for and nurtured. Combating and addressing soil pollution means assessing and minimizing the risks for food security, human health and the environment. |
Mission: Keep soil alive!
The Global Soil Organic Carbon Map V1.0
The Global Soil Organic Carbon Map V1.0 The Global Soil Organic Carbon map V1.0 is an important stepping stone to better know the current Soil Organic Carbon stock stored beneath our feet and soils’ potential for further sequestration. |
Soil Organic Carbon
Soil organic carbon, the treasure beneath our feet An animated illustration of soil organic carbon and its importance for climate action, food production and sustainable development. |
Soils and Pulses
Soils and Pulses, Symbiosis for Life This short animation introduces the new book “Soils and Pulses: symbiosis for life”. Pulses contribute to soil health, food security and nutrition, and climate change adaptation and mitigation. |
Soil and SDG's
Sustainable soil management and the Sustainable Development Goals The Sustainable Development Goals were recently created with a view to achieve sustainable development by 2030. Of the 17 goals, four contain targets specifically related to Soils. This animation looks at some of the challenges we face in each of these goals and presents some of the methods we can use to tackle them. |
Soil and Nutrition
Soil: An essential ingredient to healthy food and nutrition Soils are by nature linked to the micronutrient content of our food production and they can help to reverse the increasing trend of nutrient depleted soil by adopting sustainable soil management practices. |
Soil and Climate change
Soils: Our ally against climate change A look at how our Soils help to combat climate change in their role of sequestering CO2, and how our collective habits can damage this benefit with potentially devastating consequences. |
Soil 101
Soil 101 is an animated introduction on soils prepared in the framework of the 2015 International Year of Soils. This 2 minutes video outlines the main soil functions and the threats currently facing them. English | العربية | 中文 | Français | Pусский | Español | čeština | |
Soil: Limited natural resource
Soils are a limited natural resource, but their role in food security is crucial. In light of climate change, soil degradation and erosion, farmers struggle to protect soil health. |
Do you need one of those videos in high definition to display at your World Soil Day event ? Just send us an email and we will share it with you.
Infographics
Soils and the SDGs
This infographic aims to raise awareness on soils and link healthy soils have with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Abovegroundand belowground biodiversity: an inseparable interaction
The interaction between below and aboveground biodiversity, including several different animals, plants and bacteria that are part of this symbiotic relationship.
Soil pollution and phytoremediation
Some plants can uptake, remove and stabilize contaminants from the soil, through different mechanisms.
Impacts of soil pollution on key soil functions
Soil pollution causes a chain of degradation processes in soil, jeopardizing its ability to provide ecosystem services.
Pollution-induced changes in the functioning of soil ecosystems
Mobile soil fauna often uses an avoidance strategy, reducing the first steps of litter decomposition in heavily polluted soils.
Economic losses due to soil pollution
Soil pollution entails direct remediation and management costs ranging from thousands to billions of dollars per year, depending on the extent and type of contaminants.
Soil pollution jeopardizes the achievement of most of the SDGs
The prevention, control, and remediation of soil pollution are fundamental if we want to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Impact of soil contaminants on human health
Contaminants in soil have widespread effects on organs and systems, producing a wide variety of health outcomes, from acute to chronic diseases, leading to severe development issues, changes in bodily functions, and premature death.
Contaminants tranfer to the food chain
Contaminated plants and soil organisms lead to potentially hazardous accumulations in animals higher in the food web such as grazing animals, birds and ultimately transferred to humans.
Soil pollution, a hidden reality
This poster presents in a nutshell the sources, degradation processes and effects of soil pollution on the environment, human health and food safety and security.
Other languages: Thai
Soil pollution is borderless
Soil pollution is a borderless often invisible threat whose presence and effects are present in every corner of the globe.
Soil Pollution, a Hidden Reality
This poster presents in a nutshell the sources, degradation processes and effects of soil pollution on the environment, human health and food safety and security.
Soils and Pulses: Symbiosis for Life
The symbiotic and strategic alliance between soils and pulses contributes to improve soil health, adapt to and mitigate climate change, and ultimately to enhance food security and nutrition.
Soil and Climate change
Soils are key to unlocking the potential of mitigating and adapting to a changing climate.
English | Français | Русский | العربية | 中文 | Español | Deutsch | Georgian | Catalan
Soil functions
Soils deliver 11 key ecosystem services that enable life on Earth.
العربية | 中文 | English | Français | Русский | Español | Turkish | Deutsch | Hungarian | Dutch/Flemish | Thai | Georgian | Slovenian | Catalan | Italian | Portuguese | Finnish | Czeck | Swedish
Soil An essential ingredient to healthy food and nutrition
Soils are by nature linked to the micronutrient content of our food production. Sustainable soil management can help to reverse the increasing trend of nutrient depleted soil.
English | Turkish | Deutsch | Georgian | Spanish
Soils under threat
Soils are under increasing pressure of intensification and competing uses for cropping, forestry, pasture, urbanization. These, combined with unsustainable land uses/management, as well as climate extremes, cause degradation.
العربية | 中文 | English | Français | Русский | Español | Turkish | Deutsch | Thai | Georgian | Catalan
Soil Formation
Formation of soil is a complex and long process which depends on 5 key formation factors. Soils around the world are very diverse and constitute a key element of our landscapes
العربية | 中文 | English | Français | Русский | Español | Czech | Finnish | Swedish | Deutsch | Thai | Georgian | Catalan
Where food begins
Healthy soils not only are the foundation for food, fuel, fibre and medical products, but they are also playing a key role in the carbon cycle, storing and filtering water, and improving resilience to floods and droughts.
العربية | 中文 | English | Français | Italiano | Русский | Portouguese | Español
Where food begins
Healthy soils not only are the foundation for food, fuel, fibre and medical products, but they are also playing a key role in the carbon cycle, storing and filtering water, and improving resilience to floods and droughts.
The official posters to celebrate World Soil Day are available for download and print to help the campaign !
Threats on soil functions
A series of 9 postcards focusing on the main soil threats have been produced together with a world map showing the condition and trend of each specific threat worldwide.
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Soil salinization and sodification | ||
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Thematic infographics
Soils help to combat and adapt to climate change
Soils help to combat and adapt to climate change by playing a key role in the carbon cycle.
French | Spanish | Chinese | Russian | Arabic
Soils are the foundation for vegetation
Healthy soils are crucial for ensuring the continued growth of natural and managed vegetation, providing feed, fibre, fuel, medicinal products and other ecosystem services such as climate regulation and oxygen production. Soils and vegetation have a reciprocal relationship.
French | Spanish | Chinese | Russian | Arabic
Soils and Biodiversity
Soils host a quarter of our planet's biodiversity.Soil is one of nature's most complex ecosystems: it contains a myriad of organisms which interact and contribute to the global cycles that make all life possible.
French | Spanish | Chinese | Russian | Arabic Other languages: Hungarian
Soil is a non-renewable resource. Its preservation is essential for food security and our sustainable future
Soil is a finite resource, meaning its loss and degradation is not recoverable within a human lifespan.
French | Spanish | Chinese | Russian | Arabic Other languages: Hungarian | Turkish | Italian
International Year of Soils 2015: Healthy soils for a healthy life
Our soils are in danger because of expanding cities, deforestation, unsustainable land use and management practices, pollution, overgrazing and climate change.
French | Spanish | Chinese | Russian | Arabic Other languages: Czech | Turkish
Thematic factsheets
Soils store and filter water
Improving food security and our resilience to floods and droughts
Functional soils play a key role in the supply of clean water and resilience to floods and droughts. Water infiltration through soil traps pollutants and prevents them from leaching into the groundwater. Moreover, the soil captures and stores water, making it available for absorption by crops, and thus minimizing surface evaporation and maximizing water use efficiency and productivity
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Official languages: French | Spanish | Chinese | Russian | Arabic
Other languages
Soils help to combat and adapt to climate change by playing a key role in the carbon cycle
Healthy soils provide the largest store of terrestrial carbon. When managed sustainably, soils can play an important role in climate change mitigation by storing carbon (carbon sequestration) and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere.
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Official languages: French | Spanish | Chinese | Russian | Arabic
Other languages
Soils are the foundation for vegetation
which is cultivated or managed for feed, fibre, fuel and medicinal products
Healthy soils are crucial for ensuring the continued growth of natural and managed vegetation, providing feed, fibre, fuel, medicinal products and other ecosystem services such as climate regulation and oxygen production.
Download PDF: High res | Low res
Official languages: French | Spanish | Chinese | Russian | Arabic
Other languages
A healthy soil is a living soil
Soils Host a Quarter of our Planet’s Biodiversity
Biological diversity or ‘biodiversity’ is described as “the variability among living organisms from all sources, whether terrestrial, aquatic or marine”. It includes the diversity within species (genetic diversity), between species (organism diversity) and of ecosystems (ecological diversity)...
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Official languages: French | Spanish | Chinese | Russian | Arabic
Other languages
Healthy soils are the basis for healthy food production
The most widely recognized function of soil is its support for food production
It is the foundation for agriculture and the medium in which nearly all food-producing plants grow. In fact, it is estimated that 95% of our food is directly or indirectly produced on our soils. Healthy soils supply the essential nutrients, water, oxygen and root support that our food-producing plants need to grow and flourish. Soils also serve as a buffer to protect delicate plant roots...
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Official languages: French | Spanish | Chinese | Russian | Arabic
Other languages
Soil is a non-renewable resource
Its preservation is essential for food security and our sustainable future
Soil is a finite resource, meaning its loss and degradation is not recoverable within a human lifespan. As a core component of land resources, agricultural development and ecological sustainability, it is the basis for food,feed, fuel and fibre production and for many critical ecosystem services. It is therefore a highly valuable natural resource, yet it is often overlooked...
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Official languages: French | Spanish | Chinese | Russian | Arabic
Other languages
*When adding any WSD material to your webpage, remember to link it to www.fao.org/world-soil-day/en/