Soil is more than just a piece of dirt. It might surprise you to know that there are more living organisms in a tablespoon of soil than the 8 billion people on earth. Our Soil is a world made up of organisms, minerals, and organic components that provide food for humans and animals through plant growth.
The United Nations observes World Soil Day annually on December 5 to raise awareness about the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems by addressing challenges posed by soil management.
The theme for the 2022 World Soil Day is “Soils, where food begins,” with an emphasis on the fact that soil consists of minerals, organisms, and organic components that provide food for humans and animals.
The day reminds us to appreciate this incredible natural resource which is also the source of our food.
Like us, soils also require a balanced and varied supply of nutrients in appropriate amounts to be healthy. Agricultural systems tend to lose nutrients with each harvest, and if they are not managed sustainably, fertility progressively gets lost, and soils will produce nutrient-deficient plants.
It’s why HerVest trains and supports smallholder women farmers in Nigeria to carefully manage this natural resource that contributes over 90% to food production. It’s why we promote the practice of crop rotation, natural composting and the application of quality and natural fertilisers on land. It’s also why we encourage a wide range of climate-smart farming techniques.
Here are some facts about World Soil Day 2022:
- In December 2013, the 68th UN General Assembly declared 5 December as World Soil Day.
- 95% of food comes from soils
- According to the United Nation, about 33% of soil are degraded already. As the growing population burdens our agricultural systems, it’s important to ensure soil replenishment after each harvest to ensure food security.
- As the world population hits eight billion in 2022, the UN estimates agricultural production will need to rise by 60% in order to meet the world’s food demand in 2050. In light of the fact that 15 of the 18 naturally occurring compounds required by plants are provided by soils, sustainable management of soil resources becomes critical in this regard.
- The UN says world soil day is an advocacy tool to protect soil resources and eliminate ‘hidden hunger. In the past 70 years, soil degradation has been rampant, affecting 2 billion people worldwide who are reported to suffer from a lack of micronutrients, a problem labelled as ‘hidden hunger’ because they are difficult to detect.
- Through proper soil management, healthy ecosystems that flourish are capable of producing up to 58 per cent more food, the UN data says.
In Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole, women contribute over 60% to food production. Despite major their roles in food systems, they receive less than 10% of income from Agriculture and face other limitations that hamper their productivity
At HerVest, we are addressing these inefficiencies by supporting smallholder women farmers in Nigeria with access to credit, inputs, training and markets.
Through a blended finance model and impact investment opportunities with retail investors, we are building a safe community for women farmers to increase their productivity and contribute to Nigeria’s food security.
Impact invest in a female on HerVest today and earn highly competitive returns on the go.
