The International Year of Soils, 2015 (IYS 2015) was chosen by the United Nations General Assembly during its Sixty-eighth meeting on December 20, 2013, after deciding that December 5 would be World Soil Day.
The goal of the IYS was to help people around the world understand how important soils are for food security, agriculture, reducing the effects of climate change, helping reduce poverty, and supporting long-term environmental and economic progress.
World Soil Day
The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) and the American Society of Agronomy (ASA) have asked people to celebrate World Soil Day every year on December 5.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations started the hashtag #WorldSoilDay and a campaign called "Stop soil erosion, Save our future." This campaign includes ideas for activities that students, farmers, teachers, NGOs, and businesses can do.
An online map showing International World Soil Day events is available. Also online are a list of yearly World Soil Day campaigns, a poster with activity ideas from the FAO, educational materials, and a coloring book that children can download.
In 2019, the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History celebrated World Soil Day with hands-on activities and a discussion led by soil scientists and local farmers.
TreeHugger shared an article in 2019 that explained how soil is "the foundation of green building and the plants that make the materials needed to reduce carbon emissions." People are encouraged to celebrate World Soil Day by reducing food waste, eating a variety of foods, composting, reading labels on lawn and garden products, and testing soil.
International Year of Soils, 2015
The Global Soil Partnership created a website, logo, and activities for The International Year of Soil. Agricultural and environmental groups worldwide organized local events to support the special year.
The United States Department of Agriculture held a starting event. Its National Resources Conservation Service marked the event with monthly themes.
OpenLearn, part of the Open University, shared courses about soil. Kansas State University hosted an event in Manhattan, Kansas, to celebrate the International Year of Soils and begin the 12th International Phytotechnologies Conference.
Vivekananda College hosted a two-day science exhibition called VISETORM-VIII for rural schoolchildren.
The 2015 Ethiopia Society of Soils Science (ESSS) Conference used the theme "International Year of Soils: Ethiopia Experience." Representatives from the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the Ethiopian Society of Soil Science celebrated World Soil Day at the end of the conference.
Other events included "Sundays with Science" lectures at the San Francisco Public Library and University of Nebraska State Museum, exhibits, teacher-focused activities, and a "Microbes Are Us" Costume Parade by Hawaiian schoolchildren.
The FAO website summarized what individuals could take home from the year as:
• A new understanding of the importance of soil,
• A collection of information materials,
• New friendships and partnerships,
• And a personal discovery shared by an organizer:
"A member of the IYS Steering Committee recently learned that soils contain a bacterium called Mycobacterium vaccae, also known as the Golden Bacillus. Scientists have found that when people inhale or swallow this bacterium, it can reduce anxiety and increase happiness by boosting serotonin levels in the brain."
The official end of the 2015 International Year of Soils (IYS) occurred at FAO Headquarters on December 4, 2015.
International Decade of Soils, 2015–2024
The International Union of Soil Scientists has declared 2015–2024 as the International Decade of Soils. This follows the work started during the International Year of Soils 2015.