Why soil matters for our future

Over 95% of the food we eat begins in the soil.¹ From the bread in your toaster to the veggies on your plate, our full bellies depend on the life happening just beneath our feet. But many of us rarely stop to think about soil. And when we do, most of us picture something messy, and best kept outside.

But soil is so much more than just something we scrape off our boots after a muddy walk. It’s a living, breathing world of its own, playing a vital role in feeding us and maintaining a liveable climate. So, how important is soil, really? Let’s take a moment to dig a little deeper.

What is soil?

Soil is an amazing mix of tiny bits of stone, water, air, dead plants and animals, and billions of tiny living organisms.² Hidden within a microscopic maze lies a bustling underground universe: winding networks of bacteria, thread-like fungi, and tiny wrigglers like nematodes and protozoa.³ Add earthworms, beetles, and insects to the mix, and it’s clear that soil is so much more than dirt. All this life helps farmers grow our food. 

Worms wiggle through the soil, making little tunnels that let air and water flow through.⁴ Bacteria break down minerals in rocks and organic matter, turning them into nutrients that roots can absorb. Some even help protect our crops from getting sick. And fungi? They form partnerships with plants, bringing water and nutrients in exchange for sugary food made during photosynthesis.⁵

You can think of healthy soil as a five-star hotel for plants. All the creatures living in it act as the staff that keep everything running smoothly, so plants stay happy and healthy. Of course, sometimes pests and harmful bacteria sneak in like unwanted guests. But when the good microbes are thriving, they act like chefs, cleaners and even security guards, keeping troublemakers in check and maintaining balance.⁶⁷ But you can't stay at a hotel for free. That’s why the plants “pay” soil microbes with the sugars they make during photosynthesis.

Why is soil so important for our food?

Without healthy soil, we can’t grow healthy plants. And without healthy plants, we can’t grow healthy people.

Here’s why our food needs healthy soil:

• It provides nutrients that help plants grow strong and nutritious. Without those nutrients, crops become weak and less healthy for us to eat.⁸ For example, leafy greens grown in poor quality soil may have much lower levels of iron and magnesium, two minerals our bodies need to stay healthy.
• It holds moisture so crops can survive dry spells. This helps plants stay alive and productive during times of drought. It also filters rainwater as it soaks through, helping to keep rivers and drinking water clean.⁹
• It gives roots something to spread into, keeping plants upright and stable. Strong root systems are essential for healthy, resilient crops.
• It supports soil life, which helps prevent pests and diseases. Beneficial microbes and insects work as natural defenders. Healthy bacteria prevent plants from getting diseases, and some bugs eat other insects that would harm our crops.¹⁰ 
• It helps reduce the need for synthetic chemicals. Healthy soil can grow food with fewer added fertilisers or pesticides.¹¹

How can we help the soil? 

You don’t have to be a farmer to care for the soil. We all eat food! And we can all make choices that protect the soil. Here are some simple actions that you can take:

• Choose more plants.
  Plant-based foods typically use less land, which means less soil under pressure.¹⁴ It’s not about giving up meat entirely. Just reducing portion sizes or adding one more vegetarian meal each week can make a meaningful difference.
• Reduce Food Waste.
  By reducing food waste, we lower the demand on soil, helping to preserve this precious resource for future harvests. Every small step counts!  
• Compost your food scraps.
  Turning leftovers into compost gives nutrients back to the earth, helping to grow more food. Even if you don’t have a garden, many towns offer food waste collection or have community composting schemes. If you live in a small space, such as an apartment, you can consider mini composting systems, like the “bokashi” method from Japan. 
• Care for your garden soil.
  If you have a garden, you can boost soil health right at home. Try adding mulch like fallen leaves, straw, or wood chips on top of the soil around your plants. This keeps moisture in, reduces weeds, and creates habitat for wildlife like beetles and worms that enrich the soil. 
• Get your hands dirty!
  If you’d like to get closer to your food, consider growing a few food plants at home or participating in a community vegetable garden. You can even look at online platforms to volunteer on farms around the world in exchange for food and accommodation. It’s a great way to learn sustainable farming firsthand while travelling for free.
• Support soil-friendly farmers.
  If it’s within your budget, look for organic or regenerative labels in the supermarket (don't worry, we’ll explore regenerative farming later in this article). Better yet, you could visit local markets and ask how the food was grown. Many areas also offer vegetable box deliveries from nearby farms, helping you support growers who care for the soil.. 

How soil can fight climate change

It’s not too surprising that healthy soil can help us grow healthy food. But did you know it can also help with climate change?

We have too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and it's causing climate change. In turn, climate change puts our food at risk by increasing the frequency of droughts, floods, and extreme weather events that damage crops and make farming less reliable. But what if we could grow food and help fix the problem at the same time?

When plants grow, they pull carbon dioxide (the gas overheating our planet) out of the air. They store it in their leaves, stems, roots and in the soil beneath them. Healthy soil acts like a carbon bank account, safely storing carbon in the ground.¹⁵ This is a win-win. Because in the air, too much carbon is a problem. But in the soil, it’s a good thing. Carbon is a building block of life: it helps soil hold water, support beneficial microbes, and grow healthier plants. 

But here’s the catch: it’s more like a current account than a savings account. The balance goes up and down. When soil gets damaged (by heavy ploughing, deforestation, or chemical use), that stored carbon gets released back into the air.¹⁶ And that makes global warming even worse.

How soil protects wildlife

When it comes to farming and caring for nature, people often talk about two ideas: 

1. land sharing, and 
2. land sparing.

Land sharing means farming in ways that welcome wildlife, like growing hedgerows, planting wildflower strips, or having ponds and trees on farms. It’s about making sure that wildlife can thrive alongside our crops and livestock. 

Land sparing means setting aside areas just for nature, while farming other areas more intensively. The idea is to grow loads of food on as little land as possible, so that we can leave part of the world to go wild again. 

There’s no “right” way to look at this, we probably need a mix of both. But here’s the good news: healthy soil helps with both.

1. When soil is rich and full of life, it can grow more food on less land.¹⁷ That means we can leave more space for wild nature like forests, wetlands, or meadows.
2. To boost wildlife, healthy soil is equally important. That’s because soil isn’t just for crops; it provides the building blocks of entire ecosystems. It grows plants that animals, such as deer, eat. It supports insects that birds feed on. It filters water for wetlands and provides shelter for animals that live underground. From beetles and badgers to butterflies and wild boars, healthy soil is the foundation that wildlife needs. 

When soil gets sick

We’ve seen why healthy soil is good for the climate, good for wildlife, and good for growing food, but not all soil is healthy. Scientists estimate that about one-third of all the soil on Earth is damaged.¹⁸

Particularly over the last 100 years, we’ve done a lot of things that hurt the soil. Modern farming often uses big machines, strips the land bare between crops, and overuses artificial chemicals. When fields are left uncovered, without grasses, trees, or other plants, the wind and rain can easily carry the soil away. And once that soil is gone, it’s incredibly hard to get back. Nature can take a thousand years to make one centimetre of topsoil.¹⁹

But it’s not all bad news. In some parts of the world, people have been farming the same land for hundreds of years without ruining the soil. A great example is the Dehesa region in Spain. It’s a beautiful mix of open woodland and farmland, where farmers raise animals like pigs and sheep under scattered oak and cork trees.

In the Dehesa, people work with nature instead of against it. Animals graze under the trees, but the land gets time to rest and recover. Farmers leave the trees standing because they're not only good for the soil and wildlife, but they also provide cork and acorns, which bring in extra income. This way of farming supports birds, insects, and wild plants, while still producing food.²⁰

Many farmers around the world are learning from these older traditions. They’re bringing back the kinds of practices their grandparents used. Thanks to these efforts, some soils are even starting to get healthier again.²¹

How regenerative agriculture helps the soil

As well as using traditional farming methods to take care of the soil, there is also a growing movement called regenerative agriculture. That means farming in a way that gives back to the land instead of just taking from it.

It’s not just about using sustainable methods from the past, but also about using the best of modern technology to make soil healthier again. For example, farmers might plant trees alongside crops to improve soil and support wildlife. But they might also use chemical pesticides in small amounts when they’re needed. 

Regenerative farmers work hard to make soil healthier, and their farms can become more resilient to droughts and floods.²²

The soil-ution beneath our feet

Our world is facing significant changes. Temperatures are rising, the population is growing, and our food systems are under pressure. But there is a quiet hero right beneath our feet: soil.

When we care for soil, it gives back in powerful ways:

• More nutritious food
• Cleaner water
• Slowing down climate change 
• More wildlife and biodiversity
• Stronger, more resilient farms 

By protecting soil, we are planting the seeds of a healthier, more hopeful future for everyone.