Asia contains many of the most fertile soils on the planet. PHOTO: Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay

Asia has its first ‘soil atlas’

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It was created by the FAO Global Soil Partnership together with the Joint Research Center of the EU Commission. The tool will help to better understand the characteristics of the different soils of the continent. Among them, some of the most fertile on the planet. The food future of humanity depends on their sustainable management
In Ukraine the agricultural sector is an important source of livelihood for about 13 million people. Photo: Ilya Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)photo: Ilya Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)

War affects one in four farmers in Ukraine, says FAO

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The Russian invasion of Ukraine has forced 25 percent of the country's rural households to reduce or stop production. War damage to the sector already exceeds $2 billion, says FAO
Pandemic outbreak in 2020 has not slowed deforestation globally. Photo: Astro_Alex ESA/A.Gerst, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGOAstro_Alex ESA/A.Gerst, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Global lockdowns during Covid-19 outbreak did not curb deforestation

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Alliance of Biodiversity study: deforestation in 2020 followed expected trends based on historical data. A sign of how closures have not affected the phenomenon
Grazing may have negative effects in warmer arid areas with highly seasonal rainfall and lower biodiversity Photo: John Coppi, CSIRO Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)John Coppi, CSIRO Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)

Climate and biodiversity impact the effect of grazing on soil

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Positive impacts of grazing on soil become negative as temperatures rise, an international research says. A more diversified vegetation presence helps offset the issue
BNP Paribas is the bank that has contributed the most to deforestation in the Amazon with i456 million euros invested in a decade in the soybean, beef and palm oil sectors. PHOTO: Can Pac Swire CC BY-NC 2.0.PHOTO: Can Pac Swire CC BY-NC 2.0.

French banks criticized as they financed deforestation with more than €700 mln

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NGO's accusation: banks BNP Paribas, Société Générale, Crédit Agricole and the Banque Populaire et Caisse d'Epargne group allegedly financially supported the beef and soy bean giants responsible for Amazon deforestation
A fungus, called Metarhizium robertsii, is reportedly able to remove mercury around plant roots. Photo: Chengshu Wang and Yuxian Xia Attribution 2.5 Generic (CC BY 2.5)Chengshu Wang and Yuxian Xia Attribution 2.5 Generic (CC BY 2.5)

Mercury pollution is not a problem (as long as we use this fungus)

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A fungus that can break down mercury-based organic forms into less toxic inorganic substances protects plants by allowing them to survive in contaminated soils, a Sino-American study has found
MRIDA, or soil in Hindi, is an application developed to estimate carbon sequestration potential. Photo: AS Rao, ICRISAT Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)AS Rao, ICRISAT Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)

A new soil app from India can teach you climate-smart agriculture

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Helping farmers and decision makers in developing climate-smart practices in soil management. That's the goal of MRIDA, the new app created in India to assess the carbon sequestration potential of different agricultural strategies
In 2020, deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon affected 2,032 square kilometers of land, up from 548 in 2019. Photo: Shao Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)Shao Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Deforestation and drug trafficking threaten Peru’s communities

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Deforestation has affected an area of 680 square kilometers between the Huánuco and Ucayali regions in the center of the country. Between 2013 and 2021, the territory lost 15 percent of its tree cover
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (photo) have developed a new method of analyzing soil microbes. Image: LLNL Public Domain-Merket 1.0LLNL Public Domain-Merket 1.0

A new research technique may unlock the secrets of soil microbes

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A study from the US paves the way for more in-depth investigations into the role of soil microbes. By improving the stable isotope survey, researchers highlighted the "food web" of interactions stimulated by soil microorganisms
Australia is home to some of the driest soils in the world. Photo: Peripitus Own work, copyleft: Multi-license with GFDL and Creative Commons CC-BY-SA-2.5 and older versions (2.0 and 1.0)Peripitus Own work, copyleft: Multi-license with GFDL and Creative Commons CC-BY-SA-2.5 and older versions (2.0 and 1.0)

Australia set to establish a national soil database

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Starting from 2023, the new platform promoted by the government agency CSIRO will provide information on essential features such as climate change adaptation, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity