World Soil Conservation Day: Global Impact and Nepal's Pioneering Role

On August 8th, the world comes together to celebrate World Soil Conservation Day, highlighting the crucial role soil plays in supporting life on our planet. This annual event serves as a collective call to action, urging all of us to adopt sustainable soil management practices and protect this vital resource.

The idea for a day dedicated to soil conservation was first introduced by the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) in 2002. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) quickly recognized the importance of addressing soil degradation and began campaigning for World Soil Day as an initiative to raise global awareness. In June 2013, the 68th UN General Assembly officially established the annual event after receiving unanimous endorsement at an FAO Conference.

World Soil Day has its unique theme each year - past topics have included "Be the Solution to Soil Pollution" (2018), "Caring for the Soils Starts from the Ground" (2017), "Soils & Pulses: Symbiosis for Life" (2016), and "Healthy soils for a Healthy Life" (2015). The event is commemorated with diverse activities and celebrations worldwide. For example, 2018 saw four official events and over 300 gatherings across 90 countries. Furthermore, 2017 marked a significant milestone with 177 countries adopting the UNEA3 Resolution on Managing Soil Pollution.

It's essential to recognize that soil is a critical component of nature, contributing heavily to human well-being through its support for food, water, energy security, and biodiversity preservation. A staggering 95% of our food comes from soils, while one-third of all soils are degraded. Alarmingly, producing just 2-3 cm of topsoil can take anywhere from decades to centuries.

As we observe World Soil Conservation Day, let's join forces and pledge to preserve our soils - intrinsically linked to our planet's health. After all, our very existence depends on this irreplaceable resource.

In the spirit of the day, we'd also like to applaud countries making significant strides in soil conservation, such as Nepal. Notably, the Nepal Conservation Approaches and Technologies (NEPCAT) initiative serves as an inspirational model of sustainable land management and conservation.  NEPCAT is a network of professionals working in the field of Sustainable Land Management including soil fertility and soil moisture management. NEPCAT factsheet was contributed by government departments, universities, and nongovernmental organizations working in the field of SLM in Nepal. The initiative has been led by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). SLM technologies and related implementation approaches have been documented and updated on a regular basis and are reviewed by global experts before sharing through the global database. The documented NEPCAT factsheets are also available on the UNCCD website, which is the primary recommended database by UNCCD for the reporting on best SLM practices.

NEPCAT's primary objective is to document and disseminate indigenous knowledge on sustainable land management. Since local Nepalese communities depend heavily on natural resources, they've accumulated invaluable experience in managing these resources. Yet much of this knowledge remains undocumented and siloed. NEPCAT addresses this knowledge gap by creating fact sheets capturing essential information.

Operating under the Himalayan Conservation Approaches and Technologies (HIMCAT) since 2006, NEPCAT utilizes the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT) tool for documentation. This ensures information is recorded consistently, making it easily accessible to users around the world.

NEPCAT's ultimate goal is to offer a wide range of options that cater to Nepal's diverse geographic areas, landforms, and agroecological zones. This empowers land users, managers, and decision-makers to select appropriate technological packages and practices that combat soil erosion, land degradation, water scarcity, poor soil fertility, food security issues, and environmental change.

NEPCAT has already made considerable progress in advancing sustainable land management through the publication of fact sheets on sustainable land management technologies and approaches. These sheets serve as a collaborative effort across various organizations working in land management and are available both online and in print for easy reference.

This World Soil Conservation Day, let's celebrate game-changing initiatives such as NEPCAT in Nepal. Their pioneering work exemplifies how sharing knowledge and fostering collaboration can be vital in driving soil conservation and promoting sustainable land management worldwide.