Why soil matters?

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7 Why soils matters - A european perspective
Keynote: Olivier de Schutter
‘It is an extremely important time. 42% of land that is cultivated today is
degraded land; this is the result of different factors, depending on the region.
- First in many countries land is overused, particularly where land is becoming
too small to support the livelihoods of the people, and is divided up genera-
tion after generation. Farmers have too little soil to cultivate and they overuse
the land in some regions.
- Second , unsound agricultural practices degrade the soil: spread of monocul-
tures that remove trees from farming - a particularly relevant topic when it
comes to agriculture practices in the EU.
- Third, significant erosion of the soil. 50% of the planet’s top soil has been
removed in the past 50 years. In addition to erosion, there is also compaction
of soils, loss of soil structure, nutrient degradation, and an increase in soil
salinity, which should further increase with higher sea levels.
The consequences are important in terms of initiatives from the UN.
The most important of which is the
(UNCCD), adopted in 1992, together with
(UNCBD) and the
The UNCCD has now 196 state parties committed to preventing and reversing
desertification and soil degradation, and it should remain part of the discussions
to understand how these duties from countries can be better complied with.
The consequences of soil degradation are the following:
- Loss of land productivity is a problem for farmers who depend on the land, in
particular in developing countries where I have worked.
- Environmental consequences: degraded lands are less well-equipped to
retain water which can worsen flooding; soil erosion leads to sedimentation
in streams and rivers, clogging these water ways and causing decline in fish
stocks and other species.
- The third and most important consequence: the organic matter in the soil
holds carbon. The soil digests the plant which through photosynthesis has
been absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The more the soil is rich
in organic matter, the more it can function as a carbon sink. Conversely, as soils
lose organic matter, they release carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, worsen-
ing climate change. In fact, there was a study prepared by t the request
of the French government, which concluded that, as 24% of Greenhouse Gas
(GHG) emissions come from agriculture and forestry, transforming soils into a
carbon sink could lead to a very significant reduction of GHG.
50% of the planet’s top soil
has been removed in the
past 50 years.