The International Year of Soils in 2015 aims to increase awareness and understanding of the many important roles of soil.

An article on the Food Tank website outlines how soil is as non-renewable as oil and essential for human survival. “Soil is the foundation for food, fuel, fiber, and medical products, and is a vital part of ecosystems. It stores and filters water, provides resilience to drought, plays an important role in the carbon cycle, and is the foundation of agriculture and food production,” says the article.

Soil, however has often been overlooked and topsoil loss together with soil infertility (largely as a result of monoculture and annual cropping combined with pesticide and fertilizer use) threatens our food supply.

Practices such as agroforestry, perennial cropping and intercropping offer a more sustainable alternative that can conserve soils, prevent erosion and enhance the availability and quality of water.

Over the coming year, Food Tanks intends to promote the importance of soil through a range of awareness raising and policy advocacy activities

Read the full story: It’s All About Soil

See also: The simplicity of light is revolutionising the measurement of soil health