Why is it celebrated today?

The International Soil Conservation Day event has been commemorated since 1963; Three years earlier, on July 7, 1960, the American scientist Hugh Hammond Bennett (1881-1960) died. As director of the Soil Conservation Service, he managed to change the mentality of farmers, promoting soil conservation through the use of new techniques and forms of cultivation, which protected the soils and preserved their fertility.

This distinguished scientist dedicated his entire life to demonstrating that caring for the soil is inextricably linked to its productive capacity and was a pioneer of sustainability, when this concept had not yet been invented. For this reason, on this very significant date their work, their example and their achievements are remembered, and they strive to continue conserving and protecting soils.

Problems affecting soils

You already know that soils are an essential resource for the maintenance and life of human beings. However, in our contradictions, we have mistreated him. Because soils receive large amounts of pollutants, whether they are liquid or solid and sometimes also gaseous. Sewage and crop runoff, industrial waste, toxic particles, plastics, garbage, etc. They contain substances that are harmful to the health of the living elements that fertilize these soils.

Among them, we can highlight agricultural activities, which generally use large amounts of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides; as well as plastic particles, which penetrate to the lower layers of the soil and cause significant damage to the intrinsic nature of the earth, ending its fertility.

Social awareness is essential to conserve and protect the soil

With the celebration of the International Soil Conservation Day, it is intended to achieve a greater awareness of the world population, when it comes to giving soil conservation the great importance it has for all living beings. Therefore, it is essentially and vitally important that all the inhabitants of the planet learn to care for and respect the environment in which we live. Being very clear that numerous actions such as the uncontrolled felling of trees, uncontrolled and aggressive burning or the continued and excessive use of manures and artificial fertilizers, can cause a high degree of erosion and with it an impoverishment of such a basic component of life as is the ground.