December 5 is World Soil Day, and on this day the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has reminded us that 95% of the food we consume comes directly or indirectly from our soils. Even artificial meat grown from pea protein requires no less soil nutrients than wheat or potatoes.
However, our food loses these nutrients when the soil degrades quickly. The nutrient content of food has decreased over the last 70 years. The UN estimates that two billion people suffer from a lack of trace elements.
Around a third of the world’s soil has already been degraded. This loss makes the earth less productive and, as shown above, threatens both the food system and human health.
Agricultural practices, from tillage to deforestation to excessive grazing, accelerate soil degradation, which also reduces the soil’s ability to accumulate carbon.
Soil degradation affects regions all over the world. Let’s look at some figures that show the state of soil around the world.
68% – Soil erosion in South America
Erosion affects more than 68% of soils in South America due to deforestation and excessive grazing. According to the Council for the Protection of Natural Resources, desertification threatens between 27 and 43% of the territory in Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru
More than half of the land in Argentina, Mexico and Paraguay is “unsuitable for cultivation” due to desertification.
Around 125 million people living in semi-arid countries and sub-humid regions are at risk.
The coordinator of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) for Latin America and the Caribbean, José Miguel Torrico, explained that “the annual cost of land degradation for Latin America and the Caribbean is estimated at 60 billion US dollars per year”.
17.3 centimeters – soil loss in Iowa
Since 1850, Iowa has lost an average of 17.3 inches of its top soil layer, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It’s estimated that at that rate, only about 60 crops will remain before it disappears completely.
Meanwhile, soil erosion costs the U.S. about $37.6 billion a year in lost productivity. Erosion can lead to loss of crops, livelihoods and biodiversity.
25% – Risk of desertification in European countries
Around a quarter of the territory of the European continent is threatened by desertification. Most of this is concentrated in southern Europe.
The Mediterranean is certainly the European region most vulnerable to land degradation and desertification, with the highest overall erosion and the lowest soil organic matter content.
Recent studies state that “population growth, rapid changes in land use, associated socio-economic activities and climate change are putting severe pressure on the region’s soils.”
Much of the world’s production of olive oil, nuts, tomatoes and wines is concentrated here. However, the researchers argue that Mediterranean soils are reaching “critical limits to their ability to provide ecosystem services”. These include agriculture and carbon sequestration.
More than 12.3% – share of degraded lands in Russia
In 2020, Russian scientists assessed the state of lands in Russia based on the concept of a neutral balance of their degradation. According to the principle of “full coverage”, the calculation for Russia as a whole shows a share of 12.3% of degraded lands, which appears to be a highly averaged indicator for a country with a high diversity of socio-economic and physico-geographic conditions. The variation in the proportion of degraded land calculated using this method ranges from around 63-67% in the Rostov and Volgograd regions to less than 1% in the Amur, Kaluga and Ivanovo regions.
7.2 million tons – crop losses in India
Soil degradation is one of India’s most pressing environmental problems. Almost two-thirds of the land is in a state of degradation, which means reduced land productivity.
Annual crop losses due to soil erosion in India are estimated at 7.2 million tons, which is between 4 and 6.3 percent of annual agricultural production.
It is predicted that India will soon overtake China as the most populous country in the world. This may further exacerbate the land problem.
65% – Land degradation in Africa
In Africa, up to 65% of productive land is being degraded and desertification affects 45% of the continent’s territory.
A large part of this problem is deforestation, and it is no easy task either. For example, the complex web of poverty, ethnic strife and a growing population in Kenya’s Olpusimore Forest Reserve are just some of the factors leading to rampant deforestation and land degradation.
The net loss of forests in Africa continues to increase and recent estimates put the annual loss at 4 million hectares of forest.
Source: AgroBusiness (Russia)