First Global Soil Week Will Urge Stakeholders To Take Actions For Soils: They Are Crucial For Life!

IISD Sustainable Development Policy and Practice, November 2012
by Alexander Müller and Jes Weigelt

Political debates on global challenges such as achieving food security and combating climate change often fail to consider one of the most vital natural resources of all: soils. This is not a surprise – the multiple beneficial functions of soil are not readily apparent at first glance. Despite the enormous losses involved, soil degradation often occurs so slowly that it takes more than a single human lifetime for its effects to become visible. In land used for agricultural purposes, it takes about 500 years for a 2.5cm layer of fertile topsoil to form. […]

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