The state of our soil
Jointly published by the Heinrich Böll Foundation and theInstitute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, the Soil Atlashighlights the current state of our soils and the ways in which we are draining this precious resource:
“We are using the world’s soils as if they were inexhaustible, continually withdrawing from an account, but never paying in.”
Soil is an ecosystem in itself, made up of mineral particles, water, air, plant roots, organic matter, earthworms, lice, spiders and of course microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi. The failure to protect our soils has led to the loss of around 24 billion tonnes of fertile soil each year. Without fertile soil, we risk failing to ensure that everyone has the right to adequate food.
The Soil Atlas uses infographics to present an in-depth and accessible look at the current global situation of our soils and the challenges we face in maintaining them. It includes the impact of industrial farming and the overreliance on fertilisers, which have resulted in long-term damage to the soil. But it’s not too late: farmers can adopt methods that have been used by smallholder farmers throughout the world for centuries to restore soil that has been degraded.
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