Soil is important because it underpins almost all life on land: it grows our food, stores water and carbon, supports ecosystems, and even helps regulate the climate. When soil is damaged or lost, food security, biodiversity, and climate stability are all put at risk.

What soil actually is

Soil is not just ā€œdirtā€; it is a living, dynamic mixture that makes land productive.

  • It contains mineral particles, organic matter, air and water in constantly changing proportions.
  • It is home to microbes, fungi, insects and other organisms that drive nutrient cycles and keep soil fertile.

Food, farms and nutrition

Healthy soil is the foundation of agriculture and human nutrition.

  • Fertile soils supply plants with nutrients, water and physical support, allowing crops like wheat, rice and maize to reach high yields.
  • The quality of soil affects the nutrient content of food, linking what happens underground to human diets and health.

Water, climate and carbon

Soil quietly performs major environmental services.

  • Good structure and organic matter help soil absorb and filter water, reducing floods and cleaning water before it reaches rivers or aquifers.
  • Soil is the secondā€‘largest carbon sink after the oceans, locking away huge amounts of carbon and helping to slow climate change.

Biodiversity and ecosystems

Beneath our feet is a vast hidden ecosystem.

  • Soil organisms decompose dead material, recycle nutrients and support aboveā€‘ground biodiversity from grasses to forests.
  • Many antibiotics and other useful compounds originate from soil microbes, meaning soil directly supports human medicine.

Why soil is under threat

Around much of the world, soil is degrading faster than it can regenerate.

  • Erosion, overuse of chemical inputs, compaction and loss of organic matter are weakening soils and lowering crop productivity.
  • It is estimated that a large share of the planetā€™s soils could be degraded by midā€‘century if current trends continue, undermining livelihoods and food supplies.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.