We need to change our attitude to soil, writes Rita Sharma, World Agroforestry Centre board member, in an article in The Hans India.

Sharma outlines how in English, the word soil has negative connotations (e.g. soiled, dirty, muddy) yet soils “form the basis for food and livestock systems, fuel, fodder and fibre production. They help clean up our water resources and capture atmospheric carbon dioxide, while providing other ecosystem services.”

She outlines a number of initiatives that can and are improving soil health in India. Agroforestry, for example, writes Sharma, can “improves nutrient recycling, carbon sequestration and compost formation.”

In India, an estimated 121 million hectares (36 per cent of the country) is suffering from some form of land degradation which is threatening food production, livelihoods and environmental security. This year, designated as the International Year of Soils by the UN is drawing attention to this issue globally.

If farmers are to produce an additional 30 per cent of grain which is expected to be required to feed the world’s population by 2030, soil fertility needs to be improved.

Read the full story: For the sake of the good earth