I learned that today, Sunday, 05 December is World Soil Day. Now, I say, “Regenerative agriculture begins with the soil.”
Conservation-conscious, I am focusing on the news report by Maria Perpetua P Ocampo, “DA-BSWM Elected As The New Chairperson Of The Asian Soil Partnership (ASP) 2021-2023[1]” (25 March 2021, BSWM.gov.ph). Practical-minded, I look at the Science of Agriculture as Starting with the Soil.
Miss Maria says Bureau of Soils & Water Management (BSWM) Director Sonia M Salguero has been elected Chair of the 24 member-country ASP for 2021-2023. The ASP is under the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
The ASP countries are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, India, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.
This news of national pride adds color to my view that Agriculture in fact begins with the soil, really. This was not taught when I took my BS Agriculture at the University of the Philippines College of Agriculture (UPCA, now UP Los Baños), but I have come to believe that if the farmer does not treat his soil right, that is where all his farming troubles begin:
If your soil is not healthy, your crops are not healthy too – and so will not be the consumers of your produce. It’s as simple, and complicated, as that!
To fulfill its mandate, the ASP has to support 5 “pillars for action” – which I now summarize using the first 6 words of Pillar #1: “Promote sustainable management of soil resources.” For the purpose, the ASP will encourage a mix of country actions: policy support, investment, technical cooperation, gathering of quality data, research, education, and extension.
“Sustainable development” is what the UN promotes: “technically feasible, economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially acceptable,” where the 3rd item in that list directly involves the soil – if the soil is not healthy as Mother Nature designed it to be, it is not well. If the soil is poisoned with chemicals, it is not well. If the soil is flooded, it is not well. If the farmer does not return what his crops have obtained from the soil, it is not well.
With its ASP mandate, among other moves, the BSWM has established a 20-ha model farm in 6 sites nationwide; is enhancing research on soil ecosystem services such as the use of cover crops and green manure in organic production. The BSWM is also now wrapping up the implementation of the National Soil Health Assessment Projectand the National Soil Sampling and Testing Project For Rice And Corn.
Above, the bigger image[2] is from Sikhander Coopoo (Mobile.twitter.com). I take it as another way of saying: Our health begins with the soil!@517
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