As you know, at MAFA we often talk about the importance of soil conservation, of ensuring its good health because it is ours. And, as we are on the eve of the International Soil Conservation Day, we believe it may be interesting to give 5 keys to understanding its importance.
«Productive land is our foundation, because everything we do begins and is maintained by the sustained productivity of our agricultural lands.». These are the words of American scientist Hugh Hammond Bennett, who dedicated his life to demonstrating that soil care was essential and in whose honor the International Soil Conservation Day is commemorated every July 7.
Maintaining soils and, above all, ensuring their good condition is essential, basically because they are the basis of agriculture and the medium in which almost all the plants from which we obtain food grow. Healthy soil provides essential nutrients, water, oxygen and support for the roots, so that plants can grow and develop properly.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), soil is defined as a natural body made up of layers composed of weathered mineral materials, organic matter, air and water. It is the final product of the influence of time combined with climate, topography, organisms (flora, fauna and humans), and parent materials (original rocks and minerals).
As a curious fact...
⇒A hectare of fertile land can contain more than 300 million small invertebrates.
⇒The soil that fits in a spoon can contain a million bacteria, as well as hundreds of thousands of yeast cells and small fungi.
⇒Around 85% of CO2 in our atmosphere comes from the action of microorganisms that feed on organic matter in the soil.
⇒A centimeter of soil can take between 100 and 1,000 years to form.
For all these reasons, its conservation is essential to maintain life on the planet.
The EU directive to promote soil conservation and restoration
The so-called Soil Monitoring Act is a directive proposed by the European Commission in July 2023 to achieve the health of all European soils by 2050.
The new law will oblige EU countries to first monitor and then assess the health of all soils on their territory.
To support implementation, the Commission will make a set of sustainable soil management tools available to everyone.
5 keys to understanding the importance of soil conservation
A HEALTHY SOIL HELPS PREVENT PESTS AND DISEASES
Soil microorganisms transform organic and inorganic compounds and release nutrients in a form that can be absorbed by plants. These transformations are also vital for the filtration, degradation and immobilization of contaminants in water and soil. In addition, soil diversity contributes to improved control, prevention and elimination of pests and pathogens.
PRESERVING IT IS MUCH BETTER THAN RESTORING IT
The reason is quite simple. Soil is a fragile and practically non-renewable resource, as its recovery process is very slow. Once degraded, it needs centuries to recover.
It takes up to a thousand years for one centimetre of soil to form. According to the International Soil Reference and Information Centre (ISRIC), almost a quarter of the planet’s land is moderately or severely degraded. In the case of cultivated land, which is only 10% of dry land, more than half is in a state of degradation.
95% OF THE FOOD WE CONSUME IS DEVELOPED IN IT
95% of food comes from the soil, which is nothing. If we add to this significant fact (from the FAO, by the way) the fact that only 12% of the earth’s surface is arable, we can say that conserving the soil is not only a challenge; it is our obligation and an urgent need if we want to avoid endangering our food production system.
But, in addition, we must conserve a balanced, healthy soil, rich in biodiversity and with a temperature of between 15 and 25 degrees, which is the thermal range in which most of the soil processes develop, germination occurs and the life of organisms that live underground is favoured. Healthy soil facilitates water circulation and has active microbial life, whose microorganisms perform important functions such as nitrogen fixation, oxygen proportioning and decomposition of organic matter and minerals so that they can be absorbed by plant roots as nutrients.
NOT ONLY IS IT FUNDAMENTAL FOR AGRICULTURE, BUT SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND SOIL CONTRIBUTE TO MITIGATE CLIMATE CHANGE
And this is a compelling reason, because sustainable agriculture is the key to ensuring food security and, on the other hand, it is an activity that, although it is carried out on the ground, requires a fertile and healthy substrate that agriculture itself must conserve with correct management.
Sustainable soil management, in this case in conjunction with agriculture that respects and protects it, is key to mitigating climate change. Soils store carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. In addition, soils with a high organic matter content store large amounts of water and, in this way, promote the formation of more resilient crops, capable of withstanding drought.
IT IS THE MAIN SOURCE OF NUTRIENTS FOR PLANTS AND, THEREFORE, ONE OF THE FUNDAMENTAL SOURCES OF LIFE ON THE PLANET
We recalled earlier that 95% of the food we consume comes from the soil. But of the 18 essential chemical elements for plants, 15 come from the soil. That is to say, it is the main source of nutrients for plant species, plants and, by extension, agricultural crops. And, therefore, it is an essential source of life for the planet and for ourselves. The lack of nutrients and the degradation of the soil minimizes its capacity to produce food.
Experts say that in a piece of land we can find more living organisms than people on Earth, because at least a quarter of the world’s biodiversity lives underground, especially bacteria and fungi, which, together with other organisms, act as the main agents that drive the recycling of nutrients and allow plants to develop.
In other words, the biodiversity above the ground begins in the soil.
We are facing a challenge and a need: the planet's demographic growth requires increasing food production and, therefore, maintaining healthy and productive soils.
