What did the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s second comprehensive global soil assessment report reveal about the extent and consequences of poor soil management—including the proportions of regions with poor, good, improved, or deteriorating management; the growth of popul

FAO’s second Status of the World’s Soil Resources assessment depicts a worsening global soil crisis: proven restoration methods exist, but uptake is far too limited to protect food security, biodiversity, and climate resilience. The percentages refer to regional and subregional assessments—not the exact share of all global land area. 47

• Extent and trend: 52.5% of assessed regions/subregions had poor or very poor soil management, while only 14% were rated good or very good. Since the 2015 assessment, 58% reported deterioration and only 10% improvement. 457

• Rising pressure: Over that decade, the global population grew by about 800 million and harvested area for major crops expanded by about 80 million hectares. 37

• Why it matters: Soils support roughly 95% of food production, host about 59% of terrestrial biodiversity, and are the planet’s second-largest carbon store after the oceans. Soil damage therefore threatens yields and ecosystems while weakening a major climate buffer. 7

• Threats identified: Erosion was the most widespread problem—reported as poorly managed in 81% of assessments—alongside loss of soil organic carbon, nutrient mismanagement, declining soil biodiversity, salinization, pollution, and land sealing/urban expansion. 57

• FAO’s message: The report calls for replacing a model of soil exploitation with soil stewardship: managing soil as a finite, living resource rather than treating it as an expendable input. 4

• Solutions are known: Reduced or zero tillage, permanent soil cover and cover crops, crop diversification, agroforestry, organic-matter restoration, and better-targeted fertilizer management can reduce erosion, rebuild carbon and fertility, and improve resilience. Conservation agriculture specifically combines minimal disturbance, permanent cover, and diversified crops. 351115

• Why adoption lags: The central obstacle is implementation: farmers and governments often lack up-front finance, machinery and inputs, secure land tenure or incentives, extension support and practical knowledge, and consistent local soil data and monitoring. The report’s thrust is that the knowledge base is not the main missing element; enabling conditions and investment are. 34

• COP context and climate feedback: Released around the UNCCD COP17 desertification meeting, the assessment underlined the cost of delaying land-restoration action. Soil degradation and climate change reinforce each other: heat, drought, intense rainfall and wildfire accelerate erosion and carbon loss; degraded soils then retain less water, store less carbon, and leave farming communities more exposed to climate shocks. The retrieved evidence is insufficient to independently confirm the specific characterization of COP16 drought negotiations as “failed,” but the report clearly strengthens the case for integrating soils into drought, climate, food, and biodiversity policy. 47