Soil health
Soil degradation ‘poses threat to human life’
• Climate change is hastening soil losses
• Better understanding of our soil is needed
• Serious challenges are oſt en neglected
S
oil is an often overlooked and un- dervalued resource – but we ig- nore it at our peril, a leading sci-
entist has warned.
Regenerative agriculture could help stem current loss rates which mean some soils may disappear complete- ly by 2050, said Jane Rickson, profes- sor of soil erosion and conservation at Cranfi eld University’s Soil and Agri- food Institute.
The annual economic cost of soil degradation exceeds £1.5bn in Eng- land and Wales alone, Prof Rickson told Society of Chemical Industry’s 2021 Andrew Medal Memorial Lecture. She received the award for her work in the area of neglected science.
Greater impact
An estimated 12m hectares of agricul- tural land worldwide are lost to soil degradation every year, said Prof Rick- son. Climate change means rainfall is more frequent, more extreme and of longer duration, with a greater impact on soil erosion. Prof Rickson was this year named
as one of the Top 50 Women in Engi- neering. In her Andrew Medal Lecture, she explained that soil health direct- ly related to sustainable development goals – including zero hunger, clean
water and sanitation. “The word ‘soil’ has long had nega-
tive cultural connotations,” she said. “We talk of ‘muddying the waters’
and in the USA, soil is known as ‘dirt’ – yet this is far from the reality. This brown, muddy material is actually a very dynamic and functional part of natural capital that underpins a lot of the things we take for granted. “We must begin to value soil as a fi -
nite resource essential to human sur- vival. Soil delivers diverse benefi ts to society as a whole and has direct links to individuals’ well-being and nation- al economic status.
Healthy soils
Around 97% of food relies on soil. As well as the production of food, fi bre, fodder and biofuel, soils regulate our water supplies and mitigate climate
38 ANGLIA FARMER •AUGUST 2021
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