Healthy soils for a world without hunger

Abstract

Soils are fundamental for human development. They sustain us, they are the basis of our food production, we extract minerals from them and thanks to them we can grow flowers, fibers, fuels and medicinal products. 95% of the food we consume is produced directly or indirectly in soils. These are home to a quarter of the planet's biodiversity, and perform valuable ecosystem functions: they support the planet's vegetation cover, regulate water runoff, are the habitat for various species and store organic carbon.