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Yash was going to his father’s village for the first time. As soon as they reached, he demanded to go see the farms, of which till today he has only heard of. His father happily fulfilled his request. His father had told him about his childhood, how he used to play on the farm. The various kinds of flowers, small animals, and insects they saw and how colourful the farm was because of the different shades of green of different plants. When Yash reached the farm, however, it was nothing like his father had told him. Some of the soil looked parched, the plants were growing in monotonous rows, but plants of only one kind. There were no small animals or flowers. Just a monotonous cash crop his uncle was growing. Yash gave his father an accusatory look, wondering why would he lie to him like this. His father understood what was going through the child’s mind and asked him to sit. Then, he reassured Yash that this is the same farm he used to play in and that he hadn’t lied to him, but something far sinister had happened.

Yash’s father told him that just as plants need to be nurtured and looked after for them to grow and bloom, so does the soil in which they grow. He told him to imagine the soil as a living being and all the different kinds of plants and animals that live in it as a source of his various nutritional needs. Big plants and trees help bind the soil so it doesn’t erode during rains, legume plants and nitrogen-binding bacteria helps increase ammonia in the soil to be used for plants. Now without much artificial interference, all of these components exist in nature in a delicately balanced ecosystem. The soil keeps getting enriched with chemicals and in turn, it sustains the biodiversity of plants and animals that live on it.

> However, if you exploit soil’s resources, use chemical fertilizer to increase yield, use chemical pesticides. It causes an imbalance in the ecosystem, and the soil slowly starts losing its vitality. In simpler words, it starts dying and becomes barren.
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Yash was listening with rapt attention at this point, his father paused and looked at him because he had an interrogatory look on his face. Understanding the meaning of his father’s pause, he asked why were people still using methods that harm the soil. His father said there were many reasons for it, but mostly because people were unaware of their harmful practices. Yash said we must do something to make people more aware of it, his father smiled at this young kid’s diligence and told him about **World Soil Day.**

> World Soil Day is observed on the 5th of December as a means to raise awareness for the maintenance of healthy soil and sustainable use of soil resources. International Union of soil sciences in 2002 recommended an international day to celebrate soil, The kingdom of Thailand and FAO (Food and Agriculture association) also supported the establishment of World Soil Day. UN General Assembly thus designated 5th December 2014 as the first World Soil Day. The date of 5 December was chosen because its the official birthday of the late H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand, who was one of the champions of this initiative.
> 

World soil day aims to raise awareness on the importance of sustainable use of soil and its link to human well-being. Food production is directly related to soil and if soil deterioration remains unchecked, it could lead to a global food crisis. The campaign accompanying World Soil day also aims to reduce biodiversity loss. Soil is a part of a complex ecosystem and microorganisms present in soil perform multiple functions, some microorganisms can even break down contaminants thus safeguarding the soil. However, the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides can cause a biochemical imbalance and eliminate microorganisms that are beneficial to the soil. Soil preservation and sustainable use of soil resources are necessary so that kids like Yash can grow up in a more naturally diverse and green future.

Soil seems like such a trivial thing that most of us city dwellers rarely pay any attention to it. It would be a far fetched dream to expect someone to know of the kind of soil in their area and the kind of biodiversity that it sustains. However, the need of the hour is to prevent soil erosion and for that, awareness of your local biodiversity is a must. World Soil Day is celebrated every year on 5th December to raise awareness for the importance of healthy soil and sustainable use of soil resources.