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Soil health issue at the center of the #Soils4Nutrition photo contest, launched by FAO as part of the Global Symposium on Soils for Nutrition in July. Photo: CC0 Public Domain Free for personal and commercial use No attribution required CC0 Public Domain Free for personal and commercial use No attribution required

FAO is launching a photo contest dedicated to soil issues

Soil value is the focus of #Soils4Nutrition, the new photo contest launched by FAO. From war consequences to the micronutrient challenge, food security is increasingly in the spotlight. Submission closes on July 10
In the 21st century, 90 percent of deforestation affected tropical forests, which lost 157 million hectares from 2000 to 2018. Photo: Kate Evans/CIFOR Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)Kate Evans/CIFOR Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Deforestation slows but global forests are still in danger

The results of the latest FAO survey: agriculture and livestock fuel forests destruction. Tropical regions are the epicenter of the problem. The protection of forested areas could save 3.6 billion tons of CO2 each year.
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
Pollution alert: There are 10 million potentially contaminated sites worldwide. Photo: Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

FAO launches its mission against global soil pollution

The UN organization presents the International Network on Soil Pollution, a project to tackle contamination and restore damaged lands. Fixing the problem - says FAO - is crucial to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals
Agriculture collects $520 billion of $1.8 trillion harmful subsidies tracked in the world every year. Photo: Pixabay License Free for commercial use No attribution requiredPixabay License Free for commercial use No attribution required

$1.8 trillion climate-damaging subsidies support agriculture and other industries

B Team's report: a huge mass of government subsidies promotes unsustainable production or emission-intensive consumption, harming nature and causing the degradation of global ecosystems. More than 500 million dollars support soil-damaging activities
The excessive use of plastics in agriculture poses a threat to soil health and biodiversity. Photo: Asian Development Bank General Photos: People's Republic of China Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)Photo: Asian Development Bank General Photos: People's Republic of China Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

“We need a legally binding treaty on plastic pollution”

Plastic pollution emergency: Ellen MacArthur Foundation and WWF ask for UN action. Common rules, international coordination and circular design of products are needed to curb the contamination of oceans and soil
Contamination and plastic pollution in soils are even greater than those affecting the seas and oceans.

Pollution, there is more plastic in agricultural land than in the oceans

FAO produced the first report on the use of plastics in agri-food systems. Pollution is pervasive, especially in Asia. The solutions revolve around the "6Rs": reject, redesign, reduce, reuse, recycle and recover. It is essential to invest in the search for alternative products
Soil erosion near Debre Berhan, Ethiopia: Africa is the area most affected by soil degradation, a trend that increasingly reduces the availability of land for agriculture. Photo: 2015CIAT/GeorginaSmith Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)2015CIAT/GeorginaSmith Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

“Soil depletion in the last decade has been shocking and alarming”, FAO experts say

The authors of the FAO Soil Report interviewed by Re Soil Foundation: "We have less and less land for agriculture". And there is no international body for the protection of land
By 2050 agriculture will need to produce almost 50 percent more food than in 2012. Photo: R. Nyberg, USAID Attribution 4.0 International - CC BY 4.0R. Nyberg, USAID Attribution 4.0 International - CC BY 4.0

FAO: we must invest in sustainable agriculture (Or we won’t be able to feed the world)

The UN organization unveils the "State of Land and Water 2021": human action causes degradation in 1.66 billion hectares of land. Agriculture and ecosystems. "Agricultural production and ecosystem services are more endangered where economic growth is needed most."
Launched in 2015, the SEPAL platform hosts over 7,000 users currently engaged in anti-deforestation efforts. Photo: Crustmania Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)Photo: Crustmania Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

FAO relaunches open-source data to curb tropical deforestation

Phase 2 of SEPAL, the digital land monitoring program launched by the UN organization, is underway. The target are the tropical areas, which are the epicenter of global deforestation.

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