Today is World Soil Day and all Tasmanians should reflect on the amazing resource we have in this state in our fertile soils, according to Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association chief executive Jan Davis.
The United Nations has declared today, December 5, as World Soil Day and next year as the International Year of Soils. These declarations are recognition of the role of this most basic resource to food security, hunger eradication, climate change adaptation, poverty reduction and sustainable development.
“You only have to drive along the Bass Highway at Sassafras, the Tasman Highway at Scottsdale or the Channel Highway at Huonville to know that we have what the rest of the world craves – the most beautiful soil,” Ms Davis said.
“In many areas of the state, farmers say you could plant nails and grow crowbars.
“Good soils are the foundation of everything that makes Tasmania special. They are the base from which our agricultural industries grow the world’s best food products. They also provide the essential underpinnings that result in our rich and varied environmental landscape.”
“For generations, Tasmanian farmers have nurtured and managed their soil so that they pass it on in as good condition or better than when they started working it. It is the essence of our sustainable agricultural industry,” Ms Davis said.
TFGA Chief Executive Jan Davis
