Soils for Life - Soil degradation has been affecting agricultural productivity for many years. Across Latin America causes include deforestation, pollution, and loss of biodiversity resulting from illegal logging, mining and oil exploitation. Moreover, intensive monocultures, such as soy, spread over large pieces of land, are also damaging soil. However, the General Assembly of United Nation has officially recognised the importance of soils, especially in food production, stating 2015 as the International Year of Soils.
This recognition for soil, following the International Year of Family Farming, is important because these small-scale producers produce 70 % of the world’s food. And, their knowledge and practices are crucial for soil conservation. In this issue we focus on soil, a fundamental natural resource that supports not only agriculture but also life on the earth.
