Black soils are at a greater risk than ever before due to “the climate crisis, biodiversity loss and land use change”, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has said.
To mark World Soil Day, which is today (Monday, December 5), the organisation has published its first-ever global report on black soils.
Black soils are mineral soils with a black surface horizon that are enriched with organic carbon at least 25cm deep. They are productive and fertile soils that constitute the food basked for many countries, the FAO said.
95% of food comes directly or indirectly from soils, the FAO added. And, of the 18 nutrients essential to plants, 15 are supplied by soils – if they are healthy.
However, the new report launched today emphasised the fact that about one third of the soils worldwide are already degraded, and the loss of soil fertility makes land less productive.
Black soils
Black soils are not only of global importance because of their relevance to food security; they are also paramount for climate change mitigation and adaption the FAO explains.
They contain 8.2% of the world’s soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and can provide 10% of the global SOC sequestration potential, the FAO said.
Most however, have already lost at least half of their SOC stocks and suffer from moderate to severe erosion processes, as well as nutrient imbalances, acidification, and biodiversity loss, the organisation added.
The Global Status of Black Soils report highlights two main goals: The preservation of natural vegetation on black soils, i.e. grasslands, forests and wetlands, and the adoption of sustainable soil management approaches on cropped black soils.
It also puts forward tailored recommendations for farmers, national governments, research and academia and the International Network of Black Soils.
World Soil Day 2022
The main focus of this year’s World Soil Day event, held in hybrid form at the FAO’s headquarters in Rome, Italy, is the role of soils in food security.
The event aims to highlight how the loss of soil fertility results in low crop yields and crop failures, leading local populations to hunger, malnutrition and poverty.
Participants including Janusz Wojciechowski, EU Commissioner for Agriculture; Lee Seong-ho, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the FAO; and Victor Vasiliev, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation, were introduced to the report and the Soil Atlas of Asia.
The FAO said that, in the current food and fertiliser crisis, smallholder farmers – particularly from vulnerable countries across Africa, Latin America and Asia – lack access to organic and inorganic fertilisers.
The organisation warned that they are facing a 300% increase in fertiliser prices, and attention must be called towards sustainable management and restoration of healthy soils and their fertility.
FAO director general, QU Dongyu, said: “Today, reduced availability and soaring fertiliser prices are driving increased food prices and food insecurity.
“We need to work together to produce safe, nutritious and micronutrient-rich food in a sustainable way that avoids soil degradation, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and decreases agri-food systems pollution.”
