Wrapping up the International Year of Soils

In 2015 we celebrated the “International Year of Soils”. Soil sustains all our agricultural and livestock food production, wood for fuel production, filters water so that we can drink it and fish can live in it. We also use it for construction – therefore it sustains our homes and infrastructure. The The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) highlighted the six essentials to take away:

1. Soils store and filter water, improving food security.
2. Soils help to combat and adapt to climate change by playing a key role in the carbon cycle.
3. Soils are the foundation for vegetation which is cultivated or managed for feed, fibre, fuel and medicinal products.
4. A healthy soil is a living soil. Soils host a quarter of our planet’s biodiversity.
5. Healthy soils are the basis for healthy food production.
6. Soil is a non-renewable resource and its preservation is essential for food security.

Curated from fao.org