Qatar celebrates World Soil Day 

Doha: The State of Qatar, represented by the Ministry of Municipality, is celebrating World Soil Day, which falls on December 5 each year. Held und...

Doha: The State of Qatar, represented by the Ministry of Municipality, is celebrating World Soil Day, which falls on December 5 each year.

Held under the theme of rural soil care: measurement, monitoring, and management, the celebration intends to shine a spotlight on the importance of accurate data and information to figure out soil characteristics, as well as support insightful decisions on the sustainable management of soil, thereby fostering food security.

The State of Qatar's participation in marking this day stems from the Qatar National Vision 2030, that seeks to achieve sustainable development, including the preservation of environment and natural resources, as long as the priority given to soil is a core part of environment protection, in addition to achieving sustainability in utilizing natural resources and reducing desertification.

In addition, the Ministry of Municipality, represented by the Department of Agricultural Research, has accomplished concrete results in protecting soil and lands in Qatar from wind-induced degeneration, erosion and desertification through protecting the plant genetic resources and biodiversity, as well as the national Gene Bank.

Director of the Agricultural Research Department at the Ministry of Municipality, Hamad Saket Al Shammari, stated that the Qatari genetic seed bank currently includes 1,138 plant entries, comprising many local wild plants such as Al Ghaf Sidr, Awsaj and others, as well as plants related to food and agriculture, such as tomatoes, corn, onions, et al. He highlighted that the key objective of this bank is to preserve seeds that are compatible with the soil and climate conditions in Qatar after conducting the necessary research on them.