Soil degradation threatens 95% of world food supply
By Kafayat Kokumo
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has warned that worsening soil degradation threatens food production globally, as proven measures to protect and restore soils remain underused.
The warning was contained in FAO’s ‘Status of the World’s Soil Resources 2026’ report, launched at the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) held in Ulaanbaatar.
In a statement made available to the media on Thursday, FAO said the report based on research from 2015 to 2025 and expertise from 75 countries, found low or very low adoption of sustainable soil management practices in more than half of regional assessments.
It said 58 per cent reported deterioration since 2015, while only about 10 per cent recorded improvement.
FAO Deputy Director-General, Beth Bechdol, said: “Proven solutions are still not being adopted at the pace and scale required. The priority now is to give countries, farmers and other land users the knowledge, capacity and incentives they need to put those solutions into practice.
“Soils underpin food security, producing more than 95 percent of the food we eat. They also store and filter water, regulate the climate, support biodiversity and sustain livelihoods.
“Since 2015, the global population has grown by 800 million people, while the harvested area of major crops expanded by 80 million hectares.
“Urbanisation, unsustainable agricultural practices, industrial activities, conflicts and pollution can all contribute to land degradation and the decline of soil functions.
“Soil erosion emerges as the most severe and interconnected threat to soil health. Across the seven regions assessed, 81 percent of assessments judge erosion management to be poor or very poor, while 65 percent report a deteriorating trend since 2015.
“Proven practices, including reduced tillage, integrated nutrient management, crop diversification, cover crops, organic amendments and agroforestry, can mitigate soil threats while sustaining or improving agricultural productivity.
“The challenge is to scale up their adoption at the required pace.
“Healthy soils should be recognized as strategic assets and existing knowledge translated into action.
“The Guidance promotes a shift from isolated restoration interventions towards integrated management of productive landscapes, prioritizing the avoidance of degradation wherever possible, reducing ongoing pressures, and restoring land and soils where degradation has already occurred.”
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