Breakdown of a precious resource

Soil, one of Earth’s most precious resources, is a living system, containing air, water and plant and animal remains.

About 10 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions are stored in soil and it is made up of 45 per cent minerals, 25 per cent water, another quarter of air and 5 per cent of organic matter.

A single teaspoon of soil contains as much as a billion bacteria and more than 4,000 species.

More than 1,400 billion tonnes of soil organic carbon are in the first metre of soil and 716 billion tonnes in the top 30 centimetres of soil.

Soil is the basis for more than 95 per cent of global food production, which, by 2050, will have to increase by 60 per cent to meet demand.

Soil erosion, salination, acidification and soil organic carbon loss as well as nutrient imbalance, soil contamination, waterlogging, urbanisation and loss of biodiversity are the main threats to soil.

Globally, 33 per cent of land is degraded, with 24 billion tonnes of fertile soils lost on croplands because of erosion in 2011. By 2050, the annual loss of crop yields because of erosion is projected at 10 per cent.

In the UAE, almost 7 per cent of soil is highly to moderately suitable for irrigated agriculture. Almost 30 per cent is marginally suitable, while 8 per cent is degraded because of natural salinity.

Seventy-five per cent is sandy, while about 82,500 hectares – 62 per cent of the agricultural area – is suitable for agriculture.