Source: TH
Context:
World Soil Day, observed annually on December 5, highlights the importance of soil—a critical yet often overlooked foundation of life and human civilisation. The 2025 theme, “Healthy Soils for Healthy Cities”, shifts focus from rural agriculture to urban environments, underlining the essential role of soil in building resilient cities.
Why Urban Soil Matters:
With over 56% of the global population living in cities, urban soils provide indispensable ecosystem services:
- Climate Regulation: Soils under vegetation reduce heat in urban “heat islands,” sequester carbon, and mitigate climate change.
- Flood Management: Healthy soils absorb rainwater, prevent flooding, and recharge groundwater, unlike impervious surfaces.
- Urban Food Systems & Biodiversity: Fertile soils support rooftop gardens, parks, and community farms while sustaining microbes, pollinators, and earthworms.
- Mental & Physical Health: Exposure to soil-rich green spaces reduces stress and promotes physical activity.
Challenges:
Urban soils are among the most degraded natural resources. They face:
- Contamination from industrial waste
- Compaction from construction
- Loss of organic matter
- Sealing by concrete and asphalt
These issues threaten food safety, urban ecosystems, and city livability.
Blueprint for Action:
The 2025 campaign emphasizes community and institutional engagement to restore and protect urban soils:
- Soil Restoration: Rehabilitate degraded lands with compost, organic amendments, and soil testing; limit further soil sealing.
- Green Infrastructure: Integrate soils in parks, rain gardens, and tree belts to combat flooding and heat stress.
- Urban Agriculture: Encourage community, backyard, and container gardening.
- Responsible Soil Management: Minimise chemical inputs, plant native species, and protect topsoil with mulching.
- Soil Literacy & Composting: Schools and households can conduct soil workshops and compost organic waste to enrich urban soil.
