News Article: Soils are endangered, but the degradation can be rolled back

Such actions need to be supported by targeted policies, including: Erosion carries away 25 to 40 billion tonnes of topsoil every year, significantly reducing crop yields and the soil’s ability to store and cycle carbon, nutrients, and water. Annual cereal production losses due to erosion have been estimated at 7.6 million tonnes lost each year. If action is not taken to reduce erosion, a total reduction of over 253 million tonnes of cereals could be projected by 2050. This yield loss would be equivalent to removing 1.5 million square kilometres of land from crop production – or roughly all the arable land in India. Lack of soil nutrients is the greatest obstacle to improving food production and soil function in many degraded landscapes. In Africa, all but three countries extract more nutrients from the soil each year than are returned through use of fertilizer, crop residues, manure, and other organic matter. Accumulation of salts in the soil reduces crop yields and can completely eliminate crop production. Human-induced salinity affects an estimated 760,000 square kilometres of land worldwide – an area larger than all the arable land in Brazil.Soil acidity is a serious constraint to food production worldwide. The most acidic topsoils in the world are located in areas of South America that have experienced deforestation and intensive agriculture. Peter MayerMedia Relations (Rome)(+39) 06 570 53304 peter.mayer@fao.org