On 5 December 2022, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia (MEPA) organized a day-long event to mark World Soil Day. 

World Soil Day - 5 December - has become an important annual appointment worldwide and one of the most celebrated days of the United Nations. This year, Djibouti did not miss the opportunity to celebrate this important natural resource and organized, through the Institute of Life Sciences of the Centre d'Étude et de Recherche de Djibouti (CERD), a week-long celebration from 11 to 14 December 2022 in Djibouti City. 

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Healthy soils are the basis for food production, but soil use is often confronted with complex challenges and conflicting interests and is under great stress. Worldwide, populations are growing rapidly and soils are becoming increasingly degraded. In the European Alpine region, soils suitable for agriculture are limited and are often located in areas where tourism, housing and food production compete for land use. At the same time, climate change and soil degradation pose an increasing risk to food production.

The International Network of Salt-affected Soils has compiled a series of photos of saline and sodic soils and landscapes in a calendar for the year 2023.

Download, print and enjoy the beauty of saline and sodic soils in their natural habitats and see how salinity becomes a threat to crops that cannot tolerate high levels of salt.

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During the Conference of the Parties of the Convention of Biological Diversity (COP15), FAO's Global Soil Partnership, the International Network on Soil Biodiversity (NETSOB) and partners contributed to make soil biodiversity prominent in the negotiations and as a potential contributor to the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.  Accordingly, parties endorsed the 2020-2030 Plan of Action of the International Initiative for the conservation and sustainable use of soil biodiversity. COP15 invited FAO and its Global Soil Partnership to facilitate its implementation together with partners.