Audio
Audio
Official World Soil Day celebration and Launch of International Year of Soils
5 December 2014, Rome--- FAO celebrates today the first official World Soil Day and the Launch of the International Year of Soils 2015, with similar events organized in New York, Bangkok and Santiago. The event moderated by Marcela Villarreal, Director of FAO’s Office for Partnerships, Advocacy and Capacity Development, was organized in an effort to raise awareness and promote more sustainable use of this critical resource. Healthy soils are critical for global food production and provide a range of environmental services.

Opening statement by José Graziano da Silva, FAO Director-General.
7min. 22sec.

Keynote address “Healthy soils for a healthy life”: Joseph Sam Sesay, Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, Sierra Leone (00:00); Jhonny Cordero , Vice-Minister of Land, Plurinational State of Bolivia (05:34); Delivery of soil monoliths to FAO : Surapit Kirtiputra, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to Italy (09:35); Peter Bartha, Ministry of Agriculture, Hungary (12:58); video message by Karmenu Vella, EU Commissioner of Environment, Maritime affairs and Fisheries (15:29).
19min. 11sec.

Presentation on Soils and its role on Food Security and Nutrition within FAO Strategic Framework, by Maria Helena Semedo, FAO Deputy Director General DG-N (00:00); video message by Monique Barbut, UNCCD Executive Secretary (09:01).
12min. 14sec.

Remarks by Rainer Horn, President International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) (00:00); Volkert Engelsman, International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) (07:13); Morgane Danielou, International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) (11:39).
15min. 04sec.
Topic(s): Agriculture & crops, Biodiversity, Environment/Natural resources, Food Security, Rural or agricultural development
Produced by: FAO
 
Reference: 10883