On the occasion of World Soil Day, held annually on December 5, the TEMA Foundation once again emphasized that soil is a source of life not only for humans but also for the entire planet. Ms. Deniz Ataç, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Foundation, said, "95% of our food comes from soil. However, the loss of soil health and the decrease in our agricultural lands threaten our future. We must all take action together to protect our soil."
This year, World Soil Day draws attention to the importance of soil protection and sustainable soil management with the theme "Caring for Soil: Measure, Monitor, Manage". In this context, the TEMA Foundation emphasized the importance of taking knowledge-based steps against activities having a negative impact on soil assets and the climate crisis by pointing out soil degradation and its causes.
Soil at the size of a football pitch is lost every 5 seconds
Ms. Deniz Ataç, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Foundation, made a statement about the vital importance of soils and said, "Soil provides plants with an environment where they can grow, provides water and nutrients, stores carbon and regulates the climate. Soil, the largest carbon stock after the oceans, is home to 25% of biological diversity. While 95% of our food comes from soil, it is also the provider of many resources such as water, medicine and raw materials. There are traces of soil in every breath we take and in the water we drink. However, for all of this, it is essential to keep the soil healthy.”
Emphasizing that unfortunately, people have been disrupting the natural structure of the soil since the first day they started farming, Ataç stated that the loss of agricultural lands is also rapidly increasing and said, "Problems such as erosion, loss of organic matter, acidification and salinization cause the soil to lose its health rapidly. One third of agricultural lands in the world have been degraded and 20 million hectares of agricultural land are affected by this negative process every year. Again, 75 billion tons of soil are eroded worldwide every year. This means a loss equvalent to a football pitch every 5 seconds. In Türkiye, 640 million tons of soil are eroded every year. Growing cities are swallowing up fertile agricultural lands; in the last 20 years, Türkiye has lost an agricultural land the size of approximately 4.5 İstanbul. In addition to erosion, making soil impermeable by covering it with asphalt or concrete, pollution and wrong practices without soil analysis pose serious threats."
"We have to manage soil with knowledge and intelligence"
Deniz Ataç stated that the services provided by the soil are becoming more vital each day in order to meet the food need, combat the climate crisis and protect biodiversity, and shared striking data regarding the current situation, saying, "While the arable agricultural land per person was 0.28 hectares worldwide in 1990, this figure has decreased to 0.20 hectares today. In Türkiye, it has decreased from 0.51 hectares to 0.28 hectares in the same period. Currently, 2.3 billion people in the world are malnourished, while 850 million people are struggling with hunger. Research and estimates showing that the demand for food will increase by 50% by 2050 are alarming. If no measures are taken, 90% of the soil will be degraded by 2050 and there will be a 50% loss of productivity due to erosion, which puts the future of not only people but also the entire planet at risk. Therefore, we have to manage our soil with knowledge and intelligence."
"Investing in land is investing in the future"
Emphasizing that the measures to be taken for the protection of soil are critical not only for the continuity of agricultural production but also for the sustainability of the global ecosystem, Ataç said, "Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience adopted by the European Union in 2024 is an important step both in this area and for the monitoring of soil health and the restoration of polluted soils. It is anticipated that the annual investments to be made with these studies will transform into much higher levels of yield thanks to the fertility of the soil."
Reminding that protecting soil will bring health and welfare, Ataç said, "In order to protect soil health, first of all, soils need to be mapped, degradation needs to be detected and erosion needs to be prevented. In addition, measures to improve soil health must be encouraged and regularly monitored. Policies for the protection of life and soil in Türkiye need to be formulated rapidly. We invite policy makers and decision makers to make arrangements that protect our natural assets and therefore life. Because the care shown to soil is of vital importance not only for today but also for our tomorrow." and listed the steps to be taken.
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