Soil Degradation: Threat to Food Security and Biodiversity
Shila Gurung,
Feb 10, 2022, MyRepublica
Soil degradation has
not only disturbed global food supplies and biodiversity but also the economic,
social and political aspects of the globe.
What if you are told
that it takes almost 100 years to form 1 cm of soil? Shocking, right? Another
shocking fact is that more than 75% of the world’s soil has been already
degraded and soil degradation has remained an important global threat for the
21st century. The alarming effect of soil degradation - majorly food insecurity
and biodiversity loss - has rapidly increased for the past few years. Yet, we are
refusing to address soil degradation as an urgent issue.
Soil is the basis of
all resources and essence of all biotic and abiotic components of earth. Also,
soil is a finite resource. The loss of intrinsic physical, chemical and
biological qualities of soil is called soil degradation. Soil degradation is
often used as an umbrella term encompassing a wide variety of soil conditions
such as erosion, desertification, loss of biodiversity, loss of nutrients,
salinization etc. And soil erosion is its most widespread form because about
2.8oo tons of soil is lost per hectare annually through soil erosion, globally.
Soil erosion
refers to the removal of topsoil, the most fertile top layer of soil by various
factors like water, air or unsustainable human activities. It is a four-phase
process involving detachment, breakdown, transportation and deposition of
sediments. During these four stages, the soil organic carbon (SOC) pool is
influenced. The SOC is the carbon component of organic compounds which is an
essential component for soil fertility. Each year around 10 million hectares of
cropland is lost due to soil erosion which has drastically reduced soil
efficiencies and productivity. And more than 99.7% of food we consume comes
from beneath our feet, from soil. So, the major effect of soil degradation is
an emerging threat to global food security. Since every 1 in 7 persons is
food-insecure and 2-3 in 7 are malnourished, upcoming years are going to be
even more bad years for world hunger if the rate of soil degradation continues
at the current rate.
At the same
time, top fertile soil has degraded considerably due to improper LULC (Land
Use/ Land Cover), accumulation of non-degradable waste, over use of fertilizers
and pesticides. This has emerged as a serious problem in global biodiversity.
Unsustainable LULC practices have also deteriorated soil fertility, aquatic
ecosystems, wetlands, microclimate and biodiversity eventually. The rate of
expansion of cultivated land and urban settlement in forested areas has increased
significantly in order to feed and settle the emerging population of the world.
This type of anthropogenic modification in the land surface has shown a huge
negative impact on biodiversity. The global wetland area is decreasing day by
day due to improper LULC. Due to anthropogenic modification of soil, global
biodiversity is at high risk and we are facing a rapid loss of species. If only
we can apply sustainable intensification of producing more from less i.e.
producing more crop from less land, less drop of water, less per unit input of
fertilizers, less per unit carbon emission, we can restore the fertile soil and
ensure food security and biodiversity on earth.
Soil degradation, food
insecurity and biodiversity loss are interconnected problems of this era. And
soil degradation has not only disturbed global food supplies and biodiversity
but also the economic, social and political aspects of the globe. So, if we
want a sustainable future of earth then we must take care of our soil from
today and soil degradation must come to a halt.
