Year of publication 2015

---

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

---

Pages 1p.

---

Publisher FAO ;

---

Product type Infographic

---

Synopsis (short abstract) Functional soils play a key role in the supply of clean water and resilience to floods and drought. Water infiltration through soil traps pollutants and prevents them from leaching into the groundwater. Moreover, the soil captures and stores water, making it available for absorption by crops, and thus minimizing surface evaporation and maximizing water use efficiency and productivity. Healthy soils with a high organic matter content have the capacity to store large amounts of water. This is bene ficial not only during droughts when soil moisture is crucial to plant growth, but also during heavy rainfall because the soil reduces flooding and run-off by slowing the release of water into streams. Healthy soils are therefore crucial for maintaining food production and clean groundwater supply, while also contributing to resilience and disaster risk reduction.

---

Language English

---

Also available in:

• Arabic
• Chinese
• French
• Russian

---