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World soil day December 5thSince 2012, the 5th of December is dedicated to one of the most important, yet sometimes overlooked, natural resources on Earth - soil. World Soil Day is a United Nations campaign which aims to bring soils closer to people by raising awareness on their importance.


Although most of it is covered by water, we still call our planet Earth - a word which is also a synonym for soil. This game of words merely shows how important soils are to us, even if we are not aware of it. Soils are the second largest carbon reservoir on Earth. They host a quarter of Earth's biodiversity. They reduce flood risk and help clean the water we drink. They provide the foundation for our infrastructure. Last but not least, over 95 percent of food comes from soil. Yet, we have already managed to degrade 33 percent of world soils.

The South African agribusiness environment will be faced with various challenges in 2017, especially in terms of engaging with key land reform legislation, according to Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz) CEO Dr John Purchase, who delivered an agricultural industry forecast for 2017 on Friday 25th November 2016.

At the Pretoria-based conference focused on South Africa’s agriculture and agribusiness sectors, Purchase highlighted the revised Expropriation Bill in Parliament; the possible introduction of the Regulation of Land Holdings Bill, which proposes land ceilings; and the prohibition of agricultural land ownership by foreigners into the legislative process, as major legislative challenges that would affect the agribusiness space.agribusiness space.