Thumbnail Image

Towards a definition of soil health

ITPS Soil Letters #1

Year of publication 2020

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 3p.

Author FAO

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Journal, magazine, bulletin

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) The Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS) defines soil health as “the ability of the soil to sustain the productivity, diversity, and environmental services of terrestrial ecosystems”. In managed systems, soil health can be maintained, promoted or recovered through the implementation of sustainable soil management practices. As with human health, there is no single measure that captures all aspect of soil health. The preservation of these soil services requires avoiding and/or combating all types of soil degradation.

Full ITPS soil letters series

Last updated 17/05/2021

Language English

Also available in:
No results found.

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Thumbnail Image
    Journal, magazine, bulletin
    Spectroscopy: towards eco and human friendly soil analysis
    ITPS Soil Letters #4
    2021
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    A study conducted by the FAO Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN) showed that most standard chemical analyses have medium or high risks to human health, can contribute to environmental pollution and are often costly, requiring a range of different equipment and chemicals. These issues can mostly be avoided through the development of quicker and less expensive detection methods. This letter aims to show how spectroscopy can offer a fast, reliable, and environmental-friendly method to provide the large soil information databases necessary for decision making in sustainable agricultural systems.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (stand-alone)
    Restoring land and soil health to ensure sustainable and resilient agriculture in the Near East and North Africa region
    State of Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture thematic paper
    2023
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    The report is part of a series of background papers prepared within the context of the development of the the Near East and North Africa Region of the State of Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture (SOLAW) in the Near East and North Africa Region. The paper reflects on the status of soil degradation and fertility loss, the drivers that put pressure on soils and land in the region, the responses to address the pressing issues leveraging existing technical knowledge, as well as tools for assessment and monitoring.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Book (stand-alone)
    Overview of soil conditions of arable land in Ukraine
    Study case for steppe and forest-steppe zones
    2020
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    This publication reports on the systematic collection of information about soil resource management at farm level with the objective of providing an efficient land market relationship in Ukraine, based on transparency and protecting landowners.
Show more

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

No results found.