BILL NUMBER: SCR 83	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 31, 2015

INTRODUCED BY   Senators Wolk and Galgiani
   (Principal coauthor: Senator Cannella)
   (Coauthor: Senator Berryhill)
   (Coauthors: Assembly Members Cooper, Dodd, Gallagher, Irwin,
 and Levine   Levine,   Achadjian,
  Alejo,   Travis Allen,   Atkins, 
 Baker,   Bigelow,   Bloom,   Bonilla,
  Brown,   Campos,   Chang,  
Chau,   Chávez,   Chiu,   Chu,  
Cooley,   Dahle,   Daly,   Eggman, 
 Frazier,   Beth Gaines,   Cristina Garcia,
  Eduardo Garcia,   Gatto,   Gipson, 
 Gomez,   Gordon,   Gray,   Grove,
  Hadley,   Harper,   Roger Hernández,
  Holden,   Jones,   Kim,  
Lackey,   Linder,   Low,   Mathis, 
 Mayes,   McCarty,   Medina,  
Melendez,   Mullin,   Nazarian,  
Obernolte,   O'Donnell,   Olsen,  
Patterson,  Perea,   Quirk,   Rendon,
  Ridley-Thomas,   Rodriguez,   Salas,
  Mark Stone,   Thurmond,   Ting, 
 Wagner,   Waldron,   Weber,   Wilk,
  Williams,   and Wood  )

                        JULY 16, 2015

   Relative to the International Year of Soils.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SCR 83, as amended, Wolk. International Year of Soils.
   This measure would declare 2015 as the International Year of
Soils, and recognize the importance of healthy soils as a critical
resource supplying an abundance of food, diverse habitats, water
storage, and climate resiliency.
   Fiscal committee: no.



   WHEREAS, For more than 60 consecutive years, California has been
the number one agricultural state in the nation, producing more than
400 crop and livestock products and accounting for approximately 50
percent of the nation's supply of fruits, vegetables, and nuts; and
   WHEREAS, Ninety-five percent of our food is directly or indirectly
produced on our soils and the essential nutrients they contain; and
   WHEREAS, It can take up to 1,000 years to form one centimeter of
soil, and, with 33 percent of all global soil resources degraded,
critical limits are being reached, making stewardship an urgent
matter; and
   WHEREAS, According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations, more than 805 million people across the globe face
hunger and malnutrition, and future population growth will require an
approximate 60 percent increase in food production; and
   WHEREAS, The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations launched the International Year of Soils on World Soil Day,
December 5, 2014; and
   WHEREAS, On January 6, 2015, the United States Department of
Agriculture began its celebration of the International Year of Soils
to highlight the importance of healthy soils for food security,
ecosystems functions, and resilient farms and ranches; and
   WHEREAS, California has launched its Healthy Soils Initiative and
is pioneering efforts to incentivize building soil organic matter and
provide research, education, and technical support to facilitate
healthy soils and ensuring interagency coordination and
collaboration; and
   WHEREAS, Ensuring healthier soils by increasing the carbon content
and soil organic matter can help enhance the long-term
sustainability of California agriculture and its resiliency to
climate change; and
   WHEREAS, Improved soil health increases soil's water holding
capacity and water infiltration rate, which can help optimize the
management of California's scarce water supply; and
   WHEREAS, Increasing soil health helps to improve food crop yields,
help to increase soil fertility and the ability to hold plant
nutrients and water, supports beneficial biological microbial
diversity and populations, reduces soil erosion, and can be used to
reduce atmospheric greenhouse gases by sequestering carbon; and
   WHEREAS, The building of soil organic matter can be supported by
several management practices, including, but not limited to, minimal
soil disturbance, residue soil cover, the use of cover crops, and the
utilization of compost; and
   WHEREAS, In 1997, the California Legislature enacted SB 389
(Monteith), Chapter 331, Statutes of 1997, commemorating completion
of the state's most comprehensive soil inventory by designating San
Joaquin Soil as the official State Soil; and
   WHEREAS, We recognize the essential role of all of California's
soils in supporting a thriving California economy and healthy
environment and ensuring a sustainable and food secure future; now,
therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature of the State of California
hereby declares 2015 as the International Year of Soils; and be it
further
   Resolved, That on the occasion of the International Year of Soils,
the Legislature recognizes the importance of healthy soils as a
critical resource supplying an abundance of food, diverse habitats,
water storage, and climate resiliency; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.