Soil Gardening
Introduction
Soil Gardening, Soil Guardians and some other soil projects.
Theory
Objectives
- reduce desertification
- conserve soil organic carbon stocks
- stop soil sealing and increase re-use of urban soils
- reduce soil pollution and enhance restoration
- prevent erosion
- improve soil structure to enhance soil biodiversity
- reduce the EU global footprint on soils
- improve soil literacy in society
Funding opportunities. 9 different topics open
- to work on subsoil;
- soil pollution and digital tools;
- innovations to prevent and combat desertification;
- soil-friendly practices in horticulture;
- spatial planning; cultural and creative initiatives for bringing communities closer to soil, and establish the first wave of Living Labs.
- Physical components of soil: Organic matter, air, water, mineral matter. Soils are composed by an average of 5% organic matter, 25% air, 25% water, 45% mineral matter.
- The vital functions performed by healthy soils? Provision of food, fibre, wood and
other materials; recycling nutrients essential to our ecosystems; purifying water, preventing floods and droughts; storing carbon, hosting biodiversity;
- How many living organisms (microorganisms) can you find in a handful of soil? More than 10 billion. Soil is a living organism: the decomposition processes are carried
out by micro-organisms found in the earth. You can have more microorganisms (like bacteria, insects, spiders, worms, etc.) in a handful of soil than humans on the planet! Protecting and restoring soil health is therefore fundamental to safeguarding biodiversity.
- Can healthy soils help to mitigate climate change? Yes, they can capture carbon and therefore reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Healthy soils are the largest carbon storage on Earth. When managed sustainably, soils can play an important role in mitigating climate change, by storing carbon (sequestration) and reducing greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. However, if the soil is poorly managed, soil carbon can be released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (CO2), thereby contributing to climate change.
- What percentage of our food comes directly or indirectly from the soil? More than 95%. Almost all of our food comes from soil. We need healthy soils for safe and nutritious food.
- Sustainable soil management can increase agricultural crop yields by 58%. Methods that take soil health into account can increase average crop yields by 58%. This includes farming practices based on principles of low or no till, high vegetation cover, crop diversity, and low input with regard to pesticides and fertilisers.
- How long does it take to create one cm of fertile soil on average? Sustainable soil management can increase agricultural crop yields by: 30% Hundreds to thousands of years. Depending on the type of soil, topography, climate, vegetation, etc., it can take up to 1000 years to produce 1 cm of soil. Soils that are lost because of degradation processes (such as erosion or pollution) need hundreds or thousands of years to be regenerated. From a human perspective, soils are considered as non-renewable resources. So it’s very important to protect this scarce and valuable resource.
- Globally, what is the percentage of degraded soils and therefore no longer
available for food production? 33%. About 1/3 of soil is no longer available for food production. Soils become degraded due to erosion, salinization, compaction, acidification, contamination or leaching of nutrients. Land degradation can result in food shortages, higher prices for food and other raw materials, and the destruction of ecosystems.
- Erosion of soils caused by water is one of the most common forms of soil degradation in Europe. What percentage of the total area of Europe (excluding the Russian Federation) is affected by this phenomenon? About 16%. The Mediterranean region is particularly affected by soil erosion caused by water, because periods of drought are followed by intense rains on steep slopes with fragile soils. In northern Europe, this type of phenomenon is less pronounced because erosion through rain is less intense and because there is a higher vegetation cover.
- When is World Soil Day celebrated? 5 December. On 20 December 2013, the Sixty-eighth General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed 5 December, 2014 World Soil Day and 2015 as the International Year of Soils. This day is your opportunity to take action at local level – in schools, gardens, cities and rural communities…!
Loess
NBS Eduworld
https://www.europeanschoolnetacademy.eu/courses/course-v1:COOLSCHOOLS+GreenSchools+2024/about
