World Soil Day: Equivalent of one soccer field is lost due to soil erosion every 5 seconds

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New Delhi: On the occasion of the World Soil Day on Saturday (December 5, 2020), the United Nations (UN) said that every 5 seconds, an equivalent of one soccer field is lost due to soil erosion.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Soil organisms process 25,000 kg of organic matter in a surface area equivalent to a soccer field, which is the weight of 25 cars.  

Every 5 seconds, the equivalent of one soccer field is lost due to soil erosion, which is a major threat to food security & the achievement of the #GlobalGoals.

Saturday is #WorldSoilDay: https://t.co/DuSr524Jxx pic.twitter.com/DNP4gr4Mot — United Nations (@UN) December 4, 2020

The FAO also stated that in just 3 inches of soil, there are 13 quadrillion living organisms, weighing 100 million tonnes. 

They also said that one hectare of soil contains the weight equivalent of two cows of bacteria and that there are more organisms in one gram of healthy soils than there are people on Earth. 

The FAO's fun facts also read that an earthworm can digest its own weight in the soil every 24 hours and that 50% of the planet soil passes through the gut of earthworms each year.

"Soil is a living resource, home to more than 25% of our planet's biodiversity. Protecting it is key to maintaining the health of people, animals & the environment," said the UN.

Soil is a living resource, home to more than 25% of our planet's biodiversity. Protecting it is key to maintaining the health of people, animals & the environment.

More from @FAO on Saturday's #WorldSoilDay: https://t.co/KtiCPkMHMc pic.twitter.com/4UsiktsBrs — United Nations (@UN) December 5, 2020

Through this years' campaign "Keep soil alive, Protect soil biodiversity", the UN has urged everyone to focus the attention on the workers belowground - from tiny bacteria to agile millipedes and slimy earthworms - all of which contribute to processes that are indispensable to life on Earth.

The UN said that these days, biodiversity loss is a worry – and the soil is also affected. 

"Soil is home to more than 1/4 of our planet's biodiversity. Yet, we only know 1% of this universe," UN said. 

They stated that there are more living creatures in a single teaspoon of healthy soil than there are people on Earth and that the soil organisms are responsible for many critical ecosystem processes, on which humans depend: from supporting plant growth to storing carbon and being a vast reservoir for pharmaceuticals. 

This is to be noted that an international day to celebrate Soil was recommended by the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) in 2002. In December 2013, the UN General Assembly responded by designating 5 December 2014 as the first official World Soil Day.