Embracing the Earth’s Pulse
The Year in Soil: A Look Back at 2024
Ah Soil, Yes, that stuff under your feet that usually gets stuck in your shoes (and occasionally in your carpet). This Unsung hero quietly nurtures our crops, sequesters carbon, and sustains biodiversity—while barely asking for credit. Yet, in 2024, SOIL finally had its red-carpet moment from global summits to groundbreaking declarations, this year was a journey through triumphs, challenges, and takeaways and a few dirty (pun intended) truths about the ground beneath our feet. Soil isn’t just dirt anymore—it’s destiny.
January to December: Soil Takes Center Stage
It started quietly enough. A few murmurs about Soil Health in January turned into a roar by December. By mid-year, it felt like soil had been officially knighted as the unsung hero of sustainable development. Here's why:
May: Nairobi Gets Dirty (In a Good Way)
The Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit
https://agra.org/news/key-highlights-from-day-2-of-the-africa-fertilizer-and-soil-health-summit/
Held in May in Nairobi, this summit wasn’t just another gabfest. African leaders rolled up their sleeves, and took soil discussions to new heights. The result? The Nairobi Declaration, a bold 10-year plan to rejuvenate soil health across the continent.
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Big Idea: By 2034, 70% of Africa’s smallholder farmers will have access to targeted soil health recommendations. Ambitious? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely.
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Fun Fact: Leaders also committed to tripling fertilizer production. Let’s hope they remember the small print about balancing synthetic inputs with organic options—because the planet’s not a fan of fertilizer runoff.
June–August: Soil Meets Climate Action
https://www.fao.org/events/detail/soil-water-forum-2024/en
The heat on climate conversations, and soil refused to sit on the sidelines. At various forums, including the International Soil and Water Forum, the narrative shifted from “soil degradation” to “soil as a climate solution.”
Did you know? Restoring just 2% of degraded soils globally could sequester 1.5 billion tons of carbon annually. Suddenly, soil wasn’t just the underdog; it was a full-blown climate change MVP.
Fun Fact: “Soil sequestration” was searched on Google more in July than “Taylor Swift tickets.”
November: Soil Takes the World Stage in New Delhi
https://www.iuss.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Final-Brochure-Global-Soils-Conference-2024.pdf
If May was Africa’s moment, November belonged to New Delhi. The Global Soils Conference 2024 brought together soil geeks, corporate honchos, and policymakers under one roof to hash out a bold, global strategy for sustainable soil management.
Delegates explored everything from regenerative agriculture to precision farming. A recurring theme was the call for “data-driven dirt.” (Yes, data for soil health is now a thing.)
Spoiler alert: they're planning on a soil "health passport" system for farmers. Imagine soil with its own ID—fascinating, right?
The conference tackled two of the biggest soil conundrums:
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How to feed 10 billion people without turning Earth into a barren wasteland.
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How soil can help us fight climate change by locking away carbon.
The Big Reveal: The “New Delhi Soil Accord” called on nations to allocate 2% of GDP to soil restoration projects. The logic? Healthier soils mean healthier economies.
December: World Soil Day Brings the Year Full Circle
December 5th, World Soil Day, was the ultimate mic drop moment. This year’s theme—"Caring for Soils: Measure, Monitor, manage"—reminded everyone that healthy soils are essential for biodiversity, climate action, and feeding a growing global population.
Across continents, celebrations ranged from tree-planting drives to soil testing camps. Kids drew pictures of “superhero soil,” proving that even the youngest among us get it: No soil, no life.
What’s Next? During the event, FAO announced a global campaign to equip 10 million farmers with free soil health monitoring kits by 2026. A win for farmers, ecosystems, and climate resilience!
What We Learned This Year
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Soil is the Root of Everything: Literally. Healthy soil underpins sustainable agriculture, food security, and even climate resilience. Every conference this year hammered home this simple truth: without healthy soil, we’re toast (and not the good, buttery kind).
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Collaboration is Key: Whether it’s governments working hand in hand with farmers or scientists swapping data across borders, collaboration has proven to be the secret sauce for soil-saving strategies.
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Awareness is Everything: Most people don’t give dirt a second thought. But thanks to initiatives like World Soil Day, Save Soil the global movement and the Allure of Soil that are making soil trendy, catching on to the fact that the ground beneath their feet is a living, breathing ecosystem and showed that people care—when they understand why they should.
Of course, not everything was rosy. Here are the grimy bits:
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Degradation Despair: Over 65% of Africa’s arable land remains degraded, costing the continent $4 billion annually in nutrient loss.
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Climate Chaos: Droughts, floods, and extreme heat continue to batter soils worldwide, eroding their ability to support life.
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Access Inequality: Smallholder farmers—who feed a third of the world—still struggle to access the fertilizers and technologies they need.
Recommendations for 2025 and Beyond
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Go Regenerative: Let’s make “regenerative agriculture” more than a buzzword. Practices like crop rotation, cover cropping, and minimal tillage can turn soil into a carbon-storing powerhouse.
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Policy, Policy, Policy: Governments must roll up their sleeves and fund soil health research, incentivize sustainable farming, and develop policies that go beyond short-term fixes.
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Farmer Education: Farmers are the soil’s first responders. Equipping them with knowledge and tools will be key to any long-term soil strategy.
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Educate the Masses
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Who knew soil could be so fascinating? Let’s keep the momentum going with education campaigns and community programs.
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Increase Investments: Governments must pour money into soil R&D— because soil’s ROI (return on investment) is infinite.
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Foster Global Collaboration: Soil doesn’t respect borders. Neither should our efforts to protect it. More summits, more partnerships, and more shared solutions are the way forward. Think of it as the United Nations for dirt.
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Celebrate Soil Year-Round: Why wait for World Soil Day when every day is soil day?
Glad you asked! Start small. Compost your kitchen scraps. Support local farmers. Read up on regenerative agriculture. Share this blog *hint, hint*. Every little bit helps.
As we head into 2025, the goal is simple: let’s remember that taking care of our soil isn’t just about saving dirt; it’s about saving ourselves.
So here’s to soil—messy, miraculous, and utterly essential. Let’s keep it healthy, keep it thriving, and most importantly, keep talking about it.
So, What Can You Do?
Life, Culture, And Sustainability
Soil: A Foundation for
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Ever looked at a patch of dirt and thought, "Wow, what a fascinating ecosystem"? No? Well, buckle up, because we're about to change how you see soil forever.
Let’s start with a little warm-up. Close your eyes (but, you know, not if you're driving or reading this in an important meeting). Picture soil. What do you see? A pile of brown, lifeless dust? Maybe a place where your dog digs up your prized garden? Well, surprise—soil is not just dirt. It’s a living, breathing, underground metropolis bustling with life!
During a recent webinar FROM DUST TO PROSPERITY: The ROLE of Soil in Shaping Africa’s Future co-hosted by the coalition of Action 4 Soil Health and the Allure of Soil Campaign. Experts from around the world shared their perspectives on soil’s significance, its degradation, and the urgent need for action to restore and preserve it.
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The discussion opened with each speaker reflecting on the meaning of soil in a single sentence:
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Chaney St. Martin, International Technical Specialist in Water and Soil Management, IICA “Soil is culture—a 360-degree force that sustains us, connects us, and helps us grow both literally and figuratively.”
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Leigh Winowiecki, Soil and Land Health Global Research Lead, CIFOR-ICRAF, Co-lead of CA4SH, “Soil is life.”
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Harun Warui, Lead Agroecology & Food Rights, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung “Soil is the foundation—the bedrock of our survival.”
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Grace Bwengye, Senior Planner Agriculture, NPA Uganda: “Soil is socioeconomic transformation—it’s the driving force behind everything we do, from agriculture to industry.”
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Soil Degradation: An Economic Nightmare
If you think soil degradation is just an environmental issue, think again. It’s a full-blown economic crisis. Over 40% of the Earth’s surface is degraded, and in Africa, that number climbs to 65% of agricultural land. That means:
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Reduced crop yields
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Increased poverty
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Higher food prices
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Mass migration due to land degradation
Translation? Business as usual is not an option. We need soil solutions, and we need them now.
Policies and Partnerships for Soil Preservation
Governments and businesses must take proactive measures to safeguard soil. Grace highlighted the need for stronger policies, compliance measures, and investment in sustainable land use. Every sector, from agriculture to transportation, relies on soil, making inter-ministerial collaboration essential.
Additionally, financing mechanisms must support climate-smart agriculture and land restoration initiatives. Sustainable soil management should be at the core of economic planning to ensure food security, climate resilience, and environmental protection.
See? Soil isn’t just about farming—it’s about everything. Now, let’s get into the nitty-gritty. Soil is often called the PLANET'S PANTRY and LUNGS. Why? Because:
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Food Security – Over 95% of global food production relies on soil. And here’s the kicker—33% of soils worldwide are degraded. That’s a serious problem for our dinner plates.
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Climate Regulation – Soil is the largest terrestrial carbon sink. It’s the Earth’s natural air filter, pulling carbon down and keeping greenhouse gases in check.
Water and Nutrient Cycle – Soil acts like the Earth’s thermostat, controlling water retention, nutrient flow, and overall ecosystem stability.
The Urban-Soil Connection
Think soil is only relevant to farmers? Nope. Cities need healthy soil too. Without it, there’s no food, no clean water, and no buffer against climate change. Harun breaks it down:
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Healthy soil = Nutritious food.
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Urban areas = Growing populations dependent on rural soil.
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Soil degradation = Higher carbon emissions, less food, and more instability.
If cities want to survive, they need to start caring about the dirt beneath their feet.
Here’s where it gets exciting—young people are leading the charge. With 16% of the global population aged 15-24, youth movements are stepping up to protect and restore soil. Lokesh, a master’s student, says it best: “Think local, act global.” Awareness is great, but action is better.
By engaging in sustainable farming, research, advocacy, and policy influence, youth can lead the way in protecting soil for future generations.
IF WE TAKE CARE OF THE SOIL, IT WILL TAKE CARE OF US.
So, what can we do?
Turns out, the soil doesn’t need fancy tech or billion-dollar budgets. It just needs some old-fashioned TLC. Here are a few solutions straight from the experts:
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Prevent Soil Erosion – The first step to soil regeneration is keeping it in place through reforestation, cover crops, and conservation practices.
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Keep it covered. Think of soil like the Earth’s skin—it needs protection. Mulching and cover crops prevent erosion and keep it healthy.
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Reduce chemical overload- Less synthetic fertilizer, more natural nutrients. Soil thrives when we stop drowning it in chemicals.
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Sustainable Land Use Practices – Implementing agroecology, no-till farming, and composting to build soil resilience.
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Diversify like your diet. A mix of crops and organic matter feeds soil microbes, just like a balanced diet feeds you.
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Let it rest. Overworked land loses its mojo. Giving soil a break helps it regenerate. (Take a lesson from your weekend naps!)
This discussion underscored one vital truth: SOIL IS EVERYONE'S BUSINESS. Whether we are scientists, policymakers, farmers, or consumers, soil health affects your food, your air, your economy, and your future.
By taking action—whether through policy, education, sustainable farming, or advocacy—we can ensure that soil remains a thriving foundation for generations to come because...
