FAO stands ready to support Iran in taking innovative actions to ensure sustainable healthy biodiverse soils

Tehran – The Representation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in the Islamic Republic of Iran, in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture Jahad (MAJ), commemorates World Soil Day 2020, underscoring the prominence of Soil Biodiversity and its central role in sustaining the life on Earth and securing food and nutrition security.

At the virtual event co-hosted yesterday, Monday, by FAO and MAJ, the FAO Representative to the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mr Gerold Bödeker, highlights how the quality and health of soils to a large extent determine agricultural production and sustainability, environmental quality and consequently affects plants, animals and human health.

“Improving soil biodiversity is vital to ensuring soil health and future food and nutrition security,” emphasised FAO Representative, adding “Healthy biodiverse soils, as the largest store of terrestrial carbon, play an important role in climate change mitigation by carbon sequestration and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere.”

Mentioning this year's theme of World Soil Day 2020 – Keep Soil Alive, Protect Soil Biodiversity – Mr Bödeker added that “soil organisms not only can break down or clean up certain types of pollution but also soil biodiversity is an essential source of the chemical and genetic resources that are required for the development of new medicines.”

FAO Representative urges all national and international stakeholders to join the hands to facilitate the development and implementation of policies and programmes that promote sustainable agricultural systems, dedicate great care to nurturing soil biodiversity, increase soil organic matter content, and combat loss of soil through wind and water erosion.

In his concluding remarks, Mr Bödeker reiterated that FAO, as the lead UN agency promoting sustainable agricultural systems, stands ready to support the country to further develop and implement agro-ecological practices to ensuring sustainable healthy biodiverse soils.

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