The Royal Thai Government has begun three days of celebrations, focusing on His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s achievements as a soil scientist, as part of a global launch of the upcoming World Soil Day and the United Nation’s designated International Year of Soils in 2015.

“On this occasion, we aim to raise awareness of both public and farmers about His Majesty’s efforts in relation to soil, about the importance of soil resources, solutions to degradation of soil and the need to take greater care through appropriate management of this natural resource,” said Petipong Pungbun Na Ayudhya, Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives, adding the celebrations and seminars will culminate on 5^th December, the official date of World Soil Day and also the King’s birthday.

Other celebrations of World Soil Day and the launch of International Year of Soils in 2015 will take place in Rome, the headquarters of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), as well as UN Headquarters in New York and other cities around the world. Thailand’s Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, a granddaughter of the King, will take part in the New York ceremony, delivering a statement on his behalf.

At the opening of the Bangkok event, FAO’s Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, Hiroyuki Konuma, delivered a statement on behalf of FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva, underlining the importance of advocacy for the sustainable management of this essential resource, calling soil “a silent ally.”

“We recall with gratitude the untiring personal commitment of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej to the cause of soil, not only within this country but also internationally,” said the Director-General’s statement. “This passion for soils and their key contribution to food security and sustainable development has been recognized with the celebration of World Soil Day on the 5^th of December, the birthday of His Majesty the King of Thailand.”

“Ensuring healthy and fertile soils for the production of healthier food, fodder, feed and fuel is part of the equation to ensure food security and adequate nutrition for today’s and future generations,” Graziano said.

Yet, despite the obvious importance of soils and our dependency on them, their health is under constant and increasing threats, Graziano noted. “Soil degradation is impacting negatively on many functions that are critical for the production of food and for the provision of many ecosystem services. In fact, 33% of our land resources are already degraded.”

Population growth, climate change and evolving human diets and lifestyles are putting further pressure on our natural resources, especially soils, and threatening our capacity to sustain increased production and provide ecosystem services.

“The fact that soils are not a renewable resource makes their preservation an even more urgent matter: it can take up to one thousand years to form one centimeter of soil. And this same centimeter can be destroyed in only a few minutes because of degradation,” the FAO Director-General said.

The formal launch of the 2015 International Year of Soils will take place on 5^th December, the first official World Soil Day, in Rome, New York, Santiago, Chile and other cities. The Bangkok event was organized by the Land Development Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives.