The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has issued a stark warning that worsening global soil degradation threatens over 95 per cent of the world's food supply, as proven conservation and restoration measures remain underutilised.
Contained in the landmark 'Status of the World’s Soil Resources 2026' report, launched during the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17) in Ulaanbaatar, the assessment reveals that sustainable soil stewardship efforts are failing to keep pace with land degradation.
Drawing on research spanning 2015 to 2025 across 75 countries, the report indicates that 58 per cent of regional assessments recorded worsening soil health since 2015, while only 10 per cent showed improvement.
FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol emphasised that while global population growth added 800 million people and crop harvesting expanded by 80 million hectares over the past decade, sustainable management adoption remains critically low.
Soil erosion emerged as the single most severe threat, with 81 per cent of regional assessments rating erosion management as poor or very poor.
Pollution and unsustainable cultivation practices, the FAO called for scaling proven agrifood solutions, including reduced tillage, integrated nutrient management, crop diversification, cover cropping, organic amendments, and agroforestry.
The report urges international stakeholders to treat healthy soils as strategic assets, transitioning from isolated restoration projects toward integrated landscape management that prioritises avoiding degradation before it occurs.
Source: Vanguard News
