Adding rice husk to soil helps reduce arsenic and cadmium contamination in plants. Photo: WorldFish Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)WorldFish Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Rice husk residue provides a sustainable solution to contaminated plants and soils

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Delaware University: the addition of rice husk prevents plant contamination thus protecting the health of billions of people
Costa Rica unveiled two measures designed to re-carbonise soils, and cash environmental services under the RECSOIL program. Photo: Åsa Berndtsson Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)Åsa Berndtsson Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

How Recsoil operation is promoting soil quality in Costa Rica

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Costa Rica wants to increase soil carbon capture through the Recsoil program. With climate neutrality looming in the background
Different management strategies and soil properties influence carbon sequestration ability. Data processing is therefore crucial in order to design a global soil map. Photo: Nandan CC0 - Free to Use, Attribution OptionalNandan CC0 - Free to Use, Attribution Optional

A new map will reveal the CO2 sequestration potential of our soils

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FAO is providing regional training sessions on data processing through the GSOCseq program. Its goal? To provide a map of soil carbon capture potential under a variety of scenarios. An extra tool to protect climate and soil health
Madrid is getting greener. The five Urban Forest projects have been approved. The concept? restoring the land and its ecosystems in a 75 km ring around the Spanish capital. Photo: Pixabay License- Free for commercial use, attribution not requiredPixabay License- Free for commercial use, attribution not required

Madrid launches its Urban Forest: a 75 km green ring

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Urban forest getting started: the Spanish capital announces the winning projects The goal? To protect soil, climate and ecosystems
agricoltura, fertilizzanti, pesticidi, suolo, api,

UNEP urges a new fertilizers policy for a sustainable agriculture

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Fertilizer use is often excessive and inefficient. UNEP and FAO suggest the right way to manage them in order to protect soil and health
The portion of the Amazon Rainforest in Rondônia State is one of the areas being investigated for the role of microbes in soil emissions. Photo: Ben Sutherland Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)Ben Sutherland Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

How deforestation triggers greenhouse gas emissions by soil microbes

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Study reveals the role of microbes in driving methane release from soil. Deforestation plays against climate. But restoration strategies are useful
According to U.S. scientists, soil analysis could help predict forests' behavior in climate mitigation. Photo: Aiko, Thomas & Juliette+Isaac Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)Photo: Aiko, Thomas & Juliette+Isaac Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

Which are the best performing trees for climate mitigation? Soil tells us

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Soil microbes influence trees' behavior and forests' impact on climate change, says a study by Indiana University.
The Marchwood incinerator near Southampton, UK. According to estimates, by 2035, waste-to-energy plants will be more carbon intensive than landfilling. One more reason to boost recycling. Photo: Peter Facey Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)Peter Facey Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)

“Waste-to-energy is the dirtiest form of electricity production after coal”

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In UK more than a tenth of waste meant for recycling is sent to incinerators. A Channel 4 investigation exposes the climate risks.
After many years of debate, FAO's Intergovernmental Technical Group on Soils has approved an official definition of healthy soil. PHOTO: FAO archive.FAO

What is healthy soil? FAO coins the official definition

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The UN Agency's Intergovernmental Technical Group on Soils (ITPS) has defined healthy soil as "the ability to sustain productivity, diversity and environmental services of terrestrial ecosystems". A starting point for setting comparable indicators on sustainable land management
A farmer at work in Bangladesh. Also operating in Malawi and Burkina Faso, FAO's project in the Asian country aims to tackle micronutrient deficiencies in the soil that lead to so-called "hidden hunger". Photo: Ben Pederick, Good Morning Beautiful Films Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)Photo: Ben Pederick, Good Morning Beautiful Films Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

Fortified rice to tackle malnutrition: Bangladesh faces the micronutrient challenge

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The Soils for Nutrition project goes ahead in Bangladesh. Three agriculture sites bet on fortified rice and best practises for land management