The importance of healthy soils

I am fortunate to have been able to travel out to Rio this week for the 21st World Congress of Soil Science. The Congress theme “Soil Science: Beyond food and fuel” was set as an invitation to answer important questions:

• How to feed a hungry planet?
• How to produce fuel for an energy-hungry planet?
• How to quench a thirsty population of our planet?
• How to clean up the pollution of our planet?
• How to reach a balance to allow for protection of biodiversity with sustainable land management for agriculture production?  

Professor Rattan Lal, President of the International Union of Soil Science, opened the Congress speaking around these issues and highlighted the role soils do and will play in solving these issues. It is clear we need to be moving towards a place where we ‘use the best and save the rest’. We have reached a point where we must move to producing more food whilst using less land, water, energy, carbon and so on. There are many ways we can do this and the health of our soils and our knowledge of how soils function at all scales will be key to many of the answers we need. 

Working with our clients we are supporting them in minimising the effects of their activities on soils through avoidance of impacts, prevention of pollution and the use of best practice soil handling and soil restoration approaches. We take the opportunity to share knowledge around the interrelationships between soils and water, air, biodiversity and our own health and wellbeing, seeking to improve the quality of life through the health of our soils.