A campaign aimed at saving the world’s fertile soils – vital for the production of crops - from irreparable damage through overfarming is inviting consumers to ‘Like Organic’ to raise funds to help growers farm sustainably.
Despite the fact that 95 per cent of the food we eat is grown in soil, the equivalent of 30 football fields of fertile soil is being lost every minute. In fact, in the time that it takes to read this sentence, some 8,879m² of fertile soil will have been destroyed.
The UN-backed Save Our Soils initiative has today launched the ‘I Like Organic’ campaign to educate consumers about the urgent need to end irresponsible farming practices and release financial resources to halt the loss of irreplaceable soils.
By ‘liking’ the Save Our Soils Facebook page, consumers can participate in the campaign. With each ‘like’, €5 from the Save Our Soils initiative will be released, enough to save 500m² of fertile soil.
Campaign founder Volkert Engelsman said: “With every ‘like’, financial support can be provided to help educate and support growers in developing sustainable farming practices and in saving soil fertility through the use of organic techniques.”
“Saving the world’s soils is essential for not just the wellbeing, but the survival of future generations.”
The ‘I Like Organic’ campaign is also being run in major grocery retail outlets acrossEurope, where large point-of-sale promotional material is helping raise awareness of the importance of changing farming methods to save our soils.
Raising awareness
The Save our Soils campaign was set up by Dutch organic fresh produce specialist Nature & More and the FAO (Food & Agricultural organisation of the United Nations) in order to raise awareness about the importance of healthy soils.
The campaign has been boosted by celebrity endorsements from the likes of the Dalai Lama, the former Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Charles, Prince of Wales.
Launched in February 2015, the Save Our Soils Fund has so far raised €200,000 to assist farmers worldwide in saving soil fertility through composting workshops, research into best practices, and promoting cooperation and knowledge exchange.
By engaging consumers in a positive manner through the ‘I Like Organic’ campaign, Save Our Soils hopes to reach millions with the important message that urgent action is needed to protect soils to secure the world’s food supply.
The Celebrating Soil! Celebrating Life! congress, which takes place as part of the 2015International Year of Soils and the Save Our Soils campaign, will be staged atAmsterdam’s Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) on 26-27 June.
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