The Key to a Sustainable Future Lies in the Health of the Soil 

That the soil is considered the base of life on Earth is not something new. It is known that the soil sustains biodiversity and provides nutrients that are essential for the growth of both plants and microorganisms, serving in addition as a carbon sink that is vital to fight against climate change. However, climate change, pollution, the uncontrolled and intensive use of different management practices is threatening the health of our soils. In this article we explore the reason why the health of the soil is so relevant and how DeepHorizon seeks to improve our understanding of how the lower layers can be affected and how to preserve this essential resource. 

What Do We Understand by Soil Health? 

Although there are different definitions of what soil health is, attending to the objective of each one, we can define that a healthy soil is one that is capable of functioning as a living and dynamic ecosystem, providing different ecosystem services such as sustenance of biodiversity, production but also regulation of water or pollution. 

It is understood, therefore, that this concept encompasses different physical, chemical, and biological properties that are interconnected and that allow the soil not only to provide nutrients to crops, but also plays a fundamental role in the nutrient cycle, carbon storage, and disease control (Kibblewhite et al., 2008). Soils, however, can adapt to management practices and can recover from different disturbances, maintaining both agricultural productivity and other ecosystem services. This is what we call soil resilience (Stevens, 2018). 

This makes us see that soil health is not limited only to agricultural fertility but also to other sustainability objectives such as climate change mitigation, the preservation of biodiversity and the protection of water resources (Lehmann et al., 2020). It is therefore necessary to have careful management of soils to guarantee the continuous provision of such relevant ecosystem services fundamental to environmental and human health (Awale et al., 2018). Management practices such as conservation tillage, organic amendments or crop rotation are examples of practices that have improved the biodiversity and resilience of agricultural soils (Tahat et al., 2020). 

Current Challenges for Soil Health 

Although the importance and relevance of soil health has been demonstrated, it is threatened and diminishing in many regions of the world. Deforestation, extensive agriculture, the excessive use of chemical products, pollution and climate change are degrading the health of the soil at an alarming rate. This compromises not only agricultural productivity but also the quality of water itself, reducing biodiversity. Without forgetting that extreme meteorological events associated with climate change aggravate erosion, alter natural water and nutrient cycles and can lead to risks for the population. 

How Can the DeepHorizon Project Contribute? 

The DeepHorizon project, funded by the European Union, is focused on improving the health and management of soils in Europe, with a unique focus on understanding the role of the subsurface horizons. DeepHorizon is formed by a multidisciplinary team that involves both scientists from the public and private sector, experts in policies and land owners and farmers. This four-year project is focused on four fundamental pillars to achieve the proposed objectives: 

1. Data Collection: including both the identification of existing information repositories and collection of samples in 40 relevant sites to harmonize the information. 

2. Modeling: employing primarily process-based models to evaluate the functions of the subsoil and soil health indicators. 

3. Commitment with the interested parties: through living labs and different networks, final users and other agents of interest will be involved to co-create, test and deploy the innovative solutions of the project. 

4. Promotion of sustainable policies: within the framework of the project, the development of sustainable soil management policies will be supported, promoting carbon storage and the improvement of the provision of ecosystem services throughout Europe. 

Conclusion 

The DeepHorizon project represents a significant advance towards sustainable soil management in Europe. Improving our understanding of the subsoils and developing practical tools and support policies, DeepHorizon pursues guaranteeing that the soils continue to support life on our planet. The health of the soils is fundamental to ensure sustainability and projects such as ours are crucial to protect and revitalize this resource for future generations. 

References 

Stevens AW. The Economics of Soil Health. Food Policy. 2018;22(4):5187-5205. doi:10.1016/j.foodpol.2018.08.005​. 

Awale R, Machado S, Ghimire R, Bista P. Soil Health Concepts and Management in Dryland Farming of the Inland Pacific Northwest. In: Advances in Dryland Farming in the Inland Pacific Northwest. Oregon State University; 2018:47-52​. 

Tahat MM, Alananbeh KM, Othman YA, Leskovar DI. Soil Health and Sustainable Agriculture: A Review of Concepts and Approaches. Sustainability. 2020;12(12):4859. doi:10.3390/su12124859​. 

Lehmann J, Bossio DA, Kögel-Knabner I, Rillig MC. The Concept and Future Prospects of Soil Health. Nat Rev Earth Environ. 2020;1(10):544-555. doi:10.1038/s43017-020-0080-8​. 

Kibblewhite MG, Ritz K, Swift MJ. Soil Health in Agricultural Systems: Integrating Ecosystem Services and Soil Functions. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2008;363(1492):685-701. doi:10.1098/rstb.2007.2178​. 

Laishram JK, Saxena KG, Maikhuri RK, Rao KS. Soil Quality and Soil Health: A Review. Int J Ecol Environ Sci. 2012;38(1):19-37​.