{"id":43832,"date":"2026-07-15T11:00:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T09:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/resoilfoundation.org\/?p=43832"},"modified":"2026-07-09T15:22:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T13:22:59","slug":"restoring-soil-health-advantage-farmers-environment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/resoilfoundation.org\/en\/agricultural-industry\/restoring-soil-health-advantage-farmers-environment\/","title":{"rendered":"Why restoring soil health is a win-win for farmers and the environment"},"content":{"rendered":"

More than half of Europe\u2019s soils are degraded. Researchers are showing that restoring soil through better farming makes both ecological and financial sense<\/h2>\n

by Emanuele Isonio<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Soils feed us, filter our water and support most of the food chain on Earth. But they are also among Europe\u2019s most neglected resources \u2013quietly degrading beneath our feet while we look elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Andr\u00e9s Rodr\u00edguez Seijo from the University of Vigo in Spain is one of the researchers working to change that. He first noticed how little attention soil receives while working on microplastics, at a time when the issue was just beginning to gain traction. \u201cEveryone talked about microplastics at sea, but ignored the fact that, before they get there, they\u2019re on land, polluting our soils,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Soils in trouble<\/h5>\n

European soils are in bad shape. They contain far too much nitrogen, largely due to the overuse of fertilisers, and are heavily eroded and polluted. More than 60\u00a0% are currently classified as unhealthy, and climate change is set to\u00a0make matters worse<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Everyone talked about microplastics at sea, but ignored the fact that, before they get there, they\u2019re on land, polluting our soils”.<\/p>\n