U.S. soils devoted to grazing and agriculture are in critical condition as a result of long-term processes. Photo: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

Climate change is threatening U.S. agriculture, writes Forbes

The magazine's examination: U.S. agriculture, as well as livestock, is reckoning with climate and drought. While soil health is of growing concern
The application of biochar is one of the soil conservation best practices suggested by WEF. Photo: GIZ/Tim Brunauer Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)GIZ/Tim Brunauer Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)

‘Support and rewards are needed to preserve soil and climate mitigation’, says WEF

World Economic Forum shows the link between soil health and climate mitigation. Supporting farmers by rewarding soil- and climate-friendly practices is crucial
Over the past 60 years, the average weight of harvesters has increased 10-fold with a major impact on soil ecosystem functions. Photo: Dan Davison Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)Photo: Dan Davison Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

Mechanical dinosaurs are the ultimate threat to soil

The weight of harvesters averages 36 tons approaching burdens of sauropods walking on Earth hundreds of millions of years ago. The resulting soil compaction is now putting both ecosystem balance and crop yields at risk
Pesticide contamination has been found on 87 percent of pears produced in Belgium, 74 percent of Spanish cherries, and 85 percent of Italian celery. Photo: pxhere Creative Commons CC0 Public domain Free for personal and commercial use No attribution requiredpxhere Creative Commons CC0 Public domain Free for personal and commercial use No attribution required

EU policy on pesticides is failing as contamination of fruits and vegetables grows

Over the past decade, European citizens' exposure to pesticides is increasing sharply with obvious health risks, NGOs from 60 countries have found. Study "contradict official claims that toxic pesticides use is declining and that food residue levels are under control."
Total emissions from the agricultural sector in Europe fell by 20.7 percent between 1990 and 2020. Photo: CC0 Public Domain Free for personal and commercial use No attribution requiredCC0 Public Domain Free for personal and commercial use No attribution required

Agriculture and soil contributed to declining emissions in Europe

Between 1990 and 2020, annual CO2 equivalent emissions fell from 5.65 billion tons to 3.7 billion tons. Reductions in fertilizer use and livestock population have made an important contribution. While in soil, absorbed carbon exceeds the amount emitted
India has witnessed an increasing trend of plastic use in agriculture, although the phenomenon is relatively recent. Photo: P. Casier (CGIAR) Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) P. Casier (CGIAR) Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Mulch films under fire in India as microplastics pollution gets worrysome

A study finds the high presence of microplastics in fields where films are used most. The disposal problem in the Asian country remains significant. Concerns over heavy metal contamination
Microbes play a key role in providing soil fertility. Photo: JThomas Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike license 2.0JThomas Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike license 2.0

Microbes provide a solution as fertilizers get too expensive

War in Ukraine and commodity boom pushes fertilizer prices to record highs: profiting from microbes' properties is a cost-effective solution as investors jump in, writes the Wall Street Journal.
In Iowa, Midwestern U.S., erosion is generating a decline in agricultural production. Photo: Phil Roeder Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)Phil Roeder Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

Erosion in U.S. worse-than-expected, new study says

Midwest fields have lost nearly 58 billion tons of soil in a150 years, University of Massachusetts survey says. Tillage effect, still ignored in government estimates, is crucial. Food production at risk
FAO's Global Symposium on Soils for Nutrition will be held in virtual format between 26 and 29 July 2022.©FAO/Matteo Sala

At the end of July, a global meeting on the link between healthy soil and nutrition

From 26 to 29 July, hundreds of representatives from the political, agricultural, environmental, scientific and industrial world will participate in the Global Symposium on Soil for nutrition. Until the end of May, a call of abstracts to propose reports to be presented during the days of the event. Here the main themes
Traditional dance at the Navajo community in New Mexico, USA. Photo: Tolka Rover Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)Tolka Rover Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Traditional agriculture is good for soil and human health. A lesson from Navajo community

Traditional knowledge and modern science: how the Navajo community develops regenerative agriculture while promoting health and food security. A tale by the New Humanitarian

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