Why World Soil Day Matters For Rural Australia

As rural communities wrapped up another year of planting, harvesting and hard work on the land, World Soil Day on 5 December offered an important reminder of the quiet powerhouse beneath our feet — the soil that sustains farms, families and entire regions.

Often taken for granted, soil underpins Australia’s agricultural output, contributing around $90 billion to the national economy each year. It’s also one of the most complex living ecosystems on Earth, home to more than a quarter of the planet’s biodiversity. From tiny microbes to earthworms and insects, healthy soil supports life well beyond what we see on the surface.

Globally, an estimated 95 per cent of food production relies directly or indirectly on soil. For rural communities, that makes healthy soil fundamental not just to local farm productivity, but to long-term food security, economic strength and the resilience of regional landscapes.

World Soil Day — a United Nations initiative held annually on 5 December — aims to raise awareness of soil as a vital natural resource. This year’s theme, Healthy Soil for Healthy Cities, highlights the growing connection between rural food production and urban communities that rely on it.

Here in Australia, efforts to protect and improve soil health continue through the National Soil Strategy and National Soil Action Plan — the country’s first long-term national policy dedicated to soil. Backed by more than $90 million in federal investment, these initiatives support soil monitoring, research, information sharing and on-ground programs across farming regions.

Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Policy Group Deputy Secretary Matt Lowe said soil remains central to Australia’s prosperity and resilience.

“Soil is an integral part of the Australian landscape,” he said.

“It supports us all, no matter where we live, and provides essential ecosystem and production services that contributes to Australia’s economic, environmental and social wellbeing.

“Soil also has cultural significance, and its health impacts biodiversity, water and air quality, human health and plays a vital role in building resilience to natural disasters and adapting to and mitigating climate change.”

As the wet season approaches and preparations begin for the year ahead, World Soil Day serves as a timely reminder: strong, healthy soil is the foundation on which rural Australia grows — and protecting it benefits communities far and wide.

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Healthy soil supports thriving farms and communities across rural Australia (Photo Supplied)