World Soil Day

 The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today marked World Soil Day 2025 with a global celebration in Rome under the theme “ Healthy Soils for Healthy Cities. ” The Day underscores the crucial role that soil health plays not only in agriculture but also in shaping more resilient, greener and healthier urban environments . With two-thirds of the world’s population projected to live in cities by 2050, urban soils are under increasing pressure from sealing, pollution and unplanned expansion . These trends threaten the soil's ability to produce food, regulate temperature, filter water, store carbon and support biodiversity. Rapid urban growth is also consuming fertile peri-urban croplands—some nearly twice as productive as the global average—placing additional strain on agrifood systems. This year’s World Soil Day carries special significance as it coincides with FAO’s 80th anniversary —eight decades of partnership, innovation and action for better produc...

When rain hits natural ground, much of it seeps down, replenishing groundwater reservoirs. However, sealed surfaces send rainwater rushing off into drains, rivers, and eventually seas. This dramatically reduces groundwater recharge, putting entire communities at risk of water shortages. Urban sealing creates multiple environmental issues:Reduced groundwater recharge: Impermeable surfaces drastically lower groundwater replenishment rates. Increased flood risk : Rapid runoff from sealed surfaces leads to frequent and intense flooding in urban areas. Water pollution : Stormwater runoff from sealed surfaces picks up pollutants and debris, affecting water quality. Urban heat islands : Sealed surfaces retain heat, raising city temperatures significantly above surrounding areas. Between 2012 and 2018, urban soil sealing in the EU and UK led to an estimated loss of  approximately 670 million cubic meters of potential water storage capacity  in Functional Urban Areas (FUAs). To put th...

  Fortunately, solutions exist. Urban areas across Europe are testing innovative ways to limit or reverse soil sealing, enhance groundwater recharge, and build sustainable cities. We picked 5 of these solutions, that go hand in hand. Implement Green Infrastructure Green infrastructure, like parks, green roofs, and urban forests, can absorb rainfall effectively. For example, green roofs alone can retain 50-80% of rainfall, significantly reducing urban runoff. Use Permeable Pavements Switching from impermeable materials to permeable paving in parking areas, sidewalks, and residential streets allows rainwater to infiltrate directly into the ground. Permeable surfaces also reduce flooding and improve groundwater recharge rates. Rainwater Harvesting Systems Encouraging buildings to install rainwater harvesting systems reduces the demand for groundwater. This water can be reused for gardening, flushing toilets, and even cleaning, significantly decreasing the strain on groundwater sources...

Reducing urban soil sealing isn’t without challenges: High investment costs : Building green infrastructure and retrofitting cities with permeable surfaces requires upfront capital, which can be a major barrier for municipalities with tight budgets. Resistance from developers : Construction companies often default to traditional materials and methods. Changing this habit demands new training, incentives, and updated building regulations. Limited public awareness : Many citizens are unaware of the direct link between impermeable surfaces and water shortages, floods, and overheating. Without public support, political momentum remains weak. Fragmented policies : Soil sealing is often regulated locally, without national coordination. This creates patchy efforts and missed opportunities for large-scale impact. Lack of green urban space : Densely built cities may lack room to implement nature-based solutions, requiring creative approaches like vertical greening or depaving underused areas. ...

  Europe continues to urbanize, and this will not change, especially with rural zones becoming less and less inhabited . Managing urban soil sealing will therefor become ever more critical. Policymakers, urban planners, and communities must collaborate on sustainable solutions to protect groundwater resources . Urban areas can – and should – transform from groundwater depletion zones into examples of sustainable water management. Cities that tackle soil sealing effectively can ensure sufficient water supplies for future generations, reduce flood risks, and enhance urban living quality. Groundwater security begins beneath our cities’ surfaces. By implementing strategic measures, Europe can shift towards sustainable urban living , effectively addressing groundwater depletion through smarter urban design and greater public awareness.

Q1: What is urban soil sealing? Urban soil sealing occurs when natural land surfaces are covered with impermeable materials like asphalt and concrete. This process blocks rainwater from infiltrating the ground, disrupting groundwater recharge.​ Q2: How does urban soil sealing affect groundwater levels? By preventing rainwater from soaking into the soil, urban soil sealing reduces the replenishment of groundwater reserves. This leads to decreased availability of groundwater for drinking, agriculture, and ecosystems.​ Q3: Why have farmers been blamed for groundwater shortages? Farmers have been historically blamed due to visible water usage in agriculture and the ease of tracking agricultural water consumption. However, urban areas, despite occupying only about 2.5% of Europe’s land, have a disproportionately high impact on groundwater depletion due to soil sealing.​ Q4: What measures have farmers taken to mitigate their impact on groundwater? Farmers have adopted practices such as reduc...

Urban soils provide essential ecosystem services: they support food production, filter water, store carbon, regulate temperatures, and sustain biodiversity. However, soil sealing , Soil pollution , and urban expansion threaten these benefits, increasing flood risks, intensifying heat islands and threatening food production in peri-urban land. Solutions exist. De-sealing, green roofs, urban vegetation and agriculture, composting, and sustainable urban planning can turn soil into opportunities to strengthen climate action, improve public health, reduce disaster risks, and foster inclusive and greener cities. Groundwater is vital. It’s the hidden resource fueling Europe’s drinking water, irrigation, and ecosystems. Yet today, cities – and not farmers like often is claimed – pose the biggest threat to groundwater availability. How? The answer lies in urban soil sealing: covering natural land surfaces with asphalt, concrete, and other impermeable materials resulting in groundwater shorta...

  The types of ecosystem services and the  soil functions  referred to in the definition can be elaborated as follows:  • Supporting services include primary production, nutrient cycling and soil formation;  • Provisioning services comprise the supply of food, fibre, fuel, timber and water; raw earth material; surface stability; habitat and genetic resources;  • Regulating services imply the regulation of aspects such as water supply and quality, carbon sequestration, climate regulation, control of floods and erosion; and  • Cultural services denote the aesthetic and cultural benefits derived from soil use.  Sustainable Soil Management  is associated with the following characteristics: 1. Minimal rates of soil erosion by water and wind; 2. The soil structure is not degraded (e.g. soil compaction) and provides a stable physical context for movement of air, water, and heat, as well as root growth; 3. Sufficient surface cover (e.g. from growing ...

  Soils have diverse chemical, physical and biological properties. As a consequence, they differ in their responses to management practices, their inherent ability to deliver ecosystem services, as well as their resilience to disturbance and vulnerability to degradation. The Status of the World’s Soil Resources report identified ten key threats that hamper the achievement of SSM. These threats are: soil erosion by water and wind, soil organic carbon loss, soil nutrient imbalance, soil salinization, soil contamination, acidification, loss of soil biodiversity, soil sealing, soil compaction and waterlogging . These different threats vary in terms of intensity and trend depending on geographical contexts, though they all need to be addressed in order to achieve sustainable soil management. SSM shall contribute to addressing global challenges, and meeting international commitments, including:  • the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development , where SSM could directly or indirectly c...

Healthy soils are the foundation for food, fuel, fibre and even medicine, said the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as it kicked off the 2015 International Year of Soils today on the first-ever World Soil Day . Healthy soils are the foundation for food, fuel, fibre and even medicine said the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today as it kicked off 2015 the International Year of Soils on the first-ever World Soil Day. Soils are also essential to our ecosystems, playing a key role in the carbon cycle, storing and filtering water, and improving resilience to floods and droughts, and yet we are not paying enough attention to this important “silent ally,” the UN agency explained. The International Year of Soils kicks off today at events in Rome, New York and Santiago de Chile, in an effort to raise awareness and promote more sustainable use of this critical resource. “Today, we have more than 805 million people facing hunger and malnutrition. P...

  Land conversion and subsequent soil sealing for settlements and infrastructure affect all soils, but are of particular concern on productive, arable soils because of their importance for food production and food security and nutrition, and circular economy targets. In many places, urban sprawl affects the most productive soils adjacent to the cities and settlements. Soil sealing and land conversion causes a largely irreversible loss of some or all soil functions and the ecosystem services they provide. • Considering the total value of soils and to ensure the preservation of productive, arable soils, existing policies, relevant laws and land use planning procedures for the development of settlements and infrastructure should be reviewed as appropriate; • Where policy and legislation aim to minimize land conversion, measures should be implemented to encourage densification and re-use of existing urban or industrial areas such as abandoned areas and brownfields, and restoring degra...