Editorial – Soils: where the roots of agroecology and family farming lie

Healthy soils contribute to resilient food production. Soil carbon is a key to healthy soils but, today we see the long-term consequences of agricultural management that has neglected soil carbon – degraded soils, polluted waters, and unprecedented rates of hunger and malnutrition. There are good examples of agroecological practices that were developed by farmers who … Read more

From slash and burn to ‘slash and mulch’

In semi-arid cropping regions of West Africa, fallow periods are getting shorter. As land becomes more scarce, farmers are not able to give their soils enough time to rest. This is leading to depletion of soil organic matter, severely threatening soil fertility and damaging soil structure. In the worst cases, crops hardly yield anything anymore. … Read more

Opinion: Catching up with farmers’ knowledge in the IYS

Historically, scientists learnt from farmers to unravel the interplay between nature and farming. Pablo Tittonell believes that this year, the International Year of Soils, presents an opportunity to foster a true dialogue of wisdoms, bringing farmer knowledge and scientific knowledge closer together again. The United Nations is bringing a welcome impetus to the call for … Read more

Organised communities build healthier soils

Farmers who are trying to build up healthy soil on their land can find it a particularly prolonged process. Work with local community organisation in Nicaragua, however, shows that results can be seen relatively quickly and achieved on a broad scale, with a long-term farmer-led strategy. From its origins in the 1970s, The Council of … Read more

Locally rooted: Ideas and initiatives from the field

Farmers worldwide know that their choice of practices is key to the health of their soils. And this, in turn, is key to producing healthy food. But healthy soils, in many cases, are not the norm and so farmers must restore degraded lands. Here we see four different examples that offer a range of practical … Read more

Mind! Books and films on soils

Soil Atlas 2015: Facts and figures about earth, land and fields D. Bartz (ed.), 2015. Heinrich Böhl Foundation, Berlin and Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, Potsdam, Germany, 66 pages. More information Soils are the basis of our food production and much more, and this book explains much and in an easily readable way. Short pieces … Read more

Opinion: Healthy soils are essential for healthy lives

Marcela Villareal says that healthy soils are essential for healthy lives. And, there is an urgent need to ensure the sustainable management of soils to ensure sustainability and food and nutrition security for all. Soils are fundamental to life on Earth. They constitute the foundation of agricultural development and ecological sustainability and constitute the basis … Read more

Videos inspire farmers to experiment

Healthy soils are the foundation for healthy crops. And in sub-Saharan Africa, fertile soils are doubly important, as they help to reduce infestation by striga, or witchweed, which can seriously reduce cereal yields. A series of films featuring farmers showing what they have achieved with compost is having a big impact. And these are achieving … Read more

Organic waste for land restoration

In Central Asia, unsustainable land management has turned large areas of productive land into wastelands. “Not possible, no water, too hot…” has for a long time been the standard response from locals when asked why there has been so little effort to reverse natural resource degradation. But in recent years, innovative farmers like Ruzimatov Mahmudjon … Read more

Perspectives: Restoring our soils by learning from history

Most of our ideas about soils ignore the millions of years before mankind started farming. But what happened during the 99.9% of a soil’s history contains very important lessons. So let us celebrate the International Year of Soils by looking at what that history can tell us – and build on those lessons for the … Read more