World Soil Day, observed annually on December 5th, plays a crucial role in raising awareness about the importance of healthy soil and advocating for the sustainable management of soil resources.
The significance of World Soil Day lies in its focus on an often-overlooked resource: soil. As the foundation of agriculture, soil is vital for food production, supporting plant growth and providing essential nutrients. Healthy soil is also pivotal for water filtration, carbon storage, and maintaining biodiversity. This day serves as a reminder that soil preservation is integral to addressing global challenges. The challenges that need to be addressed are food security, climate change and environmental degradation.
Highlighting the threats to soil health, such as erosion, pollution, and overuse, is another key aspect of World Soil Day. These threats can lead to reduced agricultural productivity, loss of soil biodiversity, and increased vulnerability to climate change. By promoting sustainable soil management practices, World Soil Day aims to combat these issues, ensuring that soils remain productive and resilient. World Soil Day is a vital observance that underscores the importance of healthy soil for our planet’s future.
About Apsley Farms
At Apsley Farms we focus on preserving and improving soil health and engage in sustainable practices. We turn our digestate into two soil improving products – solids which we use as mulch and liquid as plant feed. Both have Soil Association approval for organic use. The digestate is spread on our own farm, as well as numerous other farms that supply our digesters with crop. This reduces the need for manufactured fertilisers. This lowers our crop establishment costs and also reducing the CO2 produced during this process. The environmental benefits have also been apparent since we started using our digestate, with a noticeable return of birds and other wildlife. By spreading our nutritious by-products back on our land, we’re not only reducing our carbon emissions, but also supporting our ecosystem.
