2015 International Year of Soils
The UN has declared 2015 the International Year of Soils, creating an opportunity to renew global awareness of the vital link between healthy, fertile soils and prosperous societies. But only if we bring degraded soils to life through better management, can they store water, deliver nutrients to crops, curb damage from natural disasters like floods, harbor biodiversity, capture carbon, and provide all the other ecosystem services that are essential for sustaining and improving life.
CIAT actively joined the campaign to highlight the importance of soils for food security, climate, biodiversity, water availability and quality; and share the results of our research and actions across the tropics to restore degraded land, improve soil fertility and crop productivity, become climate smart, and effectively fight poverty and hunger.
→ Shamba Shape-up: When reality TV meets African farmers
In partnership with Mediae, a production company based in Nairobi, Kenya, CIAT has sponsored 5 episodes of an “edutainment” series called Shamba Shape Up – an east African farm makeover reality TV show, to help farmers shape up their soils. The episodes are expected to provide information to an estimated 8 million smallholder farmers in 4 countries and will subsequently be available online. Read more on our blog.
→ TwitterChat #TalkSoil – Join the conversation on 13 April
The International Year of Soils 2015 is helping to mobilise much-needed interest and action in global efforts to protect soils, a finite resource on which our lives depend. CIAT and Shamba Shape Up, the hit make-over TV show, have teamed up to host a 1 hour Twitter Q&A on the theme of “Helping Farmers Build Healthier Soils”.
When: Monday 13th April 8am EST / 2pm GMT / 4pm EAT