New FAO report highlights the role of soil organisms in ensuring sustainable agri-food systems and mitigating climate change

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released “The State of Knowledge of Soil Biodiversity” on December 5, World Soil Day. The report stresses soil’s role as a “global reservoir of biodiversity” and underlines the need to promote research and innovations in soil health management.

We urgently need to recognize that soil biodiversity is indispensable to food security and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Soil biodiversity underpins the productivity and resilience of agriculture, making production systems and livelihoods more resilient to shocks and stresses.

Elizabeth Maruma Mrema,
Executive secretary of the uN conveention on biological biodiversity