World Soil Day: is it important?

World Soil Day is held annually on December 5th to raise awareness of the importance of healthy soil and advocate for the sustainable management of soil resources.

This year’s theme, “Caring for Soils: Measure, Monitor, Manage,” underscores the importance of accurate soil data and information in understanding soil characteristics and supporting informed decision-making on sustainable soil management for food security.

 

But first, what defines a Healthy Soil?

A healthy soil is a complex, living system with several key elements that enable it to support plant growth and ecosystem function. There are a few indicators to keep in mind when determining soil health. Healthy soils look different around the world, but key characteristics are universal, such as:

• Physical, given by the variety of aggregate sizes and high porosity, can look different from location to location, but is a critical part of maintaining soil structure;
• Chemical: with a pH range of 6.0 to 7.5, a balanced nutrient content of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Another key point is the organic matter content, which is a telltale sign of healthy soil; 
• Biological: healthy soil is a living and breathing ecosystem that shelters many forms of organisms with biodiversity ranging from bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, protozoa, nematodes, earthworms, insects, and viruses, in complex interactions that sustain healthy communities and their role on soil functions.

All these conditions and many others define a healthy soil, providing us with a plethora of ecosystem services that impact individual quality of life and health. 

Efficient nutrient cycling, plant roots, and penetration support good quality crops and healthy plants and animals, while also assisting with the maintenance of soil structure and biodiversity. Biodiversity maintenance is key to a balanced ecosystem, with organisms, for example, earthworms contributing to distributing organic matter and its microbiota through the soil, to open pores and galleries for water infiltration and storage, and for soil aeration. Water filtration and retention are essential to promote plant growth and retain excess water from the surface. A healthy and balanced ecosystem is much more resilient and less prone to plant diseases and pests, compaction and waterlogging, sustaining the landscapes we cherish.

Soils with characteristics on the extremes of indicators’ ranges may also be healthy, they only have a different pedogenic origin, were formed in different climatic regions, and may serve better for some specific soil uses. But they are not less valuable than the others. They are part of the evolutionary history of your planet, and we just need to know them better, ensuring that they will be properly preserved for future generations.

 

Why is Soil Health important?

About 95% of our food comes from soils. The quality of our food is directly impacted by the soils it is grown. Therefore, our health is strictly correlated with soil health, much more than has been perceived by Humanity up until now. The relationship between human health, water and air quality, was clearly perceived as early as the 60s’ of last century, but society took more time to realize the importance of soils. Soil has traditionally been perceived as a static resource, insensitive or immutable to all practices inflicted upon it.  Contaminated soils translate into contaminated plants, vegetables, and fruits. Water is also contaminated when it passes through compromised soil, so not only the food we consume but also the water is affected and that has its consequences in terms of food security and human health. 

A better environment corresponds to better food production that stems from healthy soils which provide us with healthy, safe, and nutritious food. Ultimately, better nutrition leads to a better life.

 

Why should we worry about it?

Soils are at the literal base level of our society, providing the ground on which we build our buildings and walk, but it’s also the pillarstone of our food system. It is soil that sustains agricultural productivity and ecosystem services that are key to our survival. Despite this, the European Commission estimates that 60–70% of soils in the EU are unhealthy as a direct result of current agricultural practices, namely high chemical inputs, high soil mobilization, and intensive agriculture practices.

In recent years, there have been a few strategies that are tailored around the health of soils. These are among some of what are considered good practices, but their beneficial effects still require more research, involving all the actors responsible for soil management: 

• Opting for conservation tillage or no-till farming practices to maintain soil structure and protect beneficial soil organisms;
• Maximize Soil Cover by planting cover crops between main crop seasons to protect soil from erosion;
• Enhance Biodiversity by using rotational grazing to recycle nutrients and improve soil organic matter;
• Implement Crop Rotation, where in the same area, systematically are planted different crops in sequence to improve nutrient cycling and break pest cycles;
• Add Compost by incorporating well-rotted organic matter to enhance soil structure and feed beneficial microorganisms, such as earthworms;
• Use Biochar to improve soil water retention and nutrient availability;
• Minimise Chemical Inputs by carefully managing the use of fertilizers and pesticides to avoid disrupting soil microbial communities.

 

What is soil data & information?

To learn more about soil, its health, and health indicators it is necessary to collect samples in situ. These samples can be collected at different levels, for example, topsoil or by drilling and taking a core sample, to analyze soil profile. After soil sampling, laboratory analysis provides further insight into data about soil properties and indicators, for example, organic matter content, contamination, and soil-borne pathogens. This data interpretation helps to evaluate soil quality, but also how to remediate soil. New technologies are appearing in the market that will support faster, periodical, and affordable soil monitorization. However, their validation is required and further research is ongoing on this topic.

 

How can you access this data?

Laboratories like ArrudaLab at Food4Sustainability CoLab and LABRISK/GreenUPorto from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto play a crucial role in advancing soil health and functionality. Through DNA isolation, they characterize the soil microbiome, identifying microorganisms involved in nutrient cycles, biocontrol, plant growth, pathogenicity, and stress tolerance. This microbiome data is integrated with physicochemical analysis and contextual farm or crop information, enabling tailored recommendations. These insights empower farmers to make informed decisions, optimizing agricultural practices for improved productivity and sustainability. It is also important to work on developing standard protocols and harmonization of procedures, as it is being done by LABRISK, integrating the GLOSOLAN network, to measure all the soil health indicators, including those that are being proposed by the New Soil Monitoring Law under approval. Soil ecotoxicology is also crucial to support the risk assessment of contaminated soils and the evaluation of the safety related to many agricultural inputs.

 

How can public outreach help?

Within the scope of the AGRIFOOD4FUTURE project, several efforts to disseminate the importance of soil health and strategies to improve are being made. Having informed and literate citizens is a vital part of bringing awareness and change of the agrifood sector, as well as of consumers, which ends up including all the society. Initiatives targeted towards farmers, technical advisors, and agrifood stakeholders are an action plan to bring soils and their health into focus. CoVE Portugal has taken this mission on several approaches:

• Webinar on the “Soil Health Impact on Food Production” was held online, on November 6th, and counted with the participation of key institutions and organizations such as F4S, GreenUPorto, BGI, and ISQ. During this session, it was discussed the methodologies to evaluate and monitor soil health and function, strategies to improve them, and their impact on food production.

Co-creation workshop “Minds4Soil: from doubts to solutions”, was held on November 20th. A simple picture describes how participants brainstormed about soil, its health, and how it impacted their lives. There are many terms and concepts that need to be learned and discussed, and such initiatives are a starting point in the endeavor of knowing and discovering soils. This workshop will be taken directly to these actors at their workplaces and associations to reach a larger audience. We want “to have an impact” on the fight for better soils in the future.

How can you learn more?

The AGRIFOOD4FUTURE project, uniting partners from Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, is launching educational packages tailored for farmers, advisors, stakeholders, and SMEs in the agrifood sector. The Capacity Building Program will address critical topics like soil management, smart farming, and precision agriculture. The first educational sessions are scheduled for January 2025.

Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your skills in sustainable soil management! Sign up now via this link and learn how to ensure your soil is managed effectively.