A day dedicated to soils – 5 December 2012
Within the framework of the "Global Soil Partnership", FAO advocates for recognition of the importance of soils for achieving food security, as well as their pivotal role in providing a range of ecosystem services.
FAO, under the framework of the GSP, and with full support of its country members (as expressed during the 144th FAO Council, 11-15 June 2012) request the wider UN system to recognize 5th December as World Soil Day and institutionalise its observance accordingly. Recognizing the crucial role of soils for food security and considering the enormous challenges for their sustainable management and protection, FAO has decided, for the first time, to celebrate World Soil Day in 2012 with the theme “Securing healthy soils for a food secure world” and to advocate widely to place soils at the top of the development agenda worldwide.